Ex-law man gets 30 days in jail after plea deal
Former Colorado sheriff sentenced after trading sex for meth
DENVER – A former lawman once crowned America's Sheriff of the Year was bedding down Tuesday night in a Colorado jail named in his honor, as he began a 30-day sentence for drug and prostitution offenses.
Patrick Sullivan, accused of providing methamphetamine in exchange for sex, admitted a felony drug charge and soliciting a prostitute, KUSA-TV reported, and was sentenced to time in the Patrick J. Sullivan, Jr. Detention Facility.
The 69-year-old -- who prosecutor Michael Dougherty called "a disgrace to the badge" -- was charged in Nov. 2011 with using methamphetamine and distributing the drug to men in exchange for sex after police, working with informants, captured one such transaction on video.
After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to 38 days' jail with eight days' credit for time served. He must also pay a $1,000 fine and undergo treatment for substance abuse, KMGH-TV reported.
He told the court Tuesday, "I apologize ... There is no excuse for my behavior. I plan to seek forgiveness from those I have harmed. I want to move forward in my life in a positive direction."
From 1984 to 2002, Sullivan was the sheriff of Arapahoe County -- Colorado's third biggest county, located east of Denver.
He was named national Sheriff of the Year in 2001 and was appointed to the National Commission on Crime Prevention and Control by President Bill Clinton in 1995.
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