Former Sheriff Lawrence Hodge pleaded guilty in May 2011 to charges of conspiracy to commit extortion, conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Between 2004 and 2007, he conspired with attorney Ron Reynolds to extort over $55,000 from individuals charged with felony drug offenses by referring them to Reynolds, who encouraged them to make payments to the Sheriff’s Department. Hodge also admitted to conspiring with drug dealers to distribute oxycodone over a seven-year period, obtaining pills for personal use in exchange for not investigating the dealers. Additionally, he embezzled nearly $65,000 from the department’s Drug and Alcohol Fund for personal expenses. Hodge was sentenced to 186 months in federal prison in September 2011 and ordered to pay restitution of $64,897.

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