(From The Associated Press)- Former Chester County sheriff Alex Underwood was sentenced Monday to nearly 4 years in prison, after he was convicted abuse of power, stealing money from government programs, unlawfully arresting a man, and wire fraud.
FBI agents began investigating Underwood after he jailed a man for three days for no reason, after the man recorded the aftermath of a police chase and wreck that happened near his home. Underwood created a false police report that said, the man stepped out of his yard into the public roadway and cursed at police, according to indictments.
FBI agents would later find Underwood skimmed overtime meant for his deputies and used taxpayer money to fly first-class to a Las Vegas conference with his wife. He then tried to cover up that she went and had on-duty deputies work to build a party barn at his home. That even pulled officers away from drug stakeouts, prosecutors said. A judge sentenced Underwood to 46 months in federal prison.