WAGONER, Okla. (AP) - An Oklahoma sheriff accused of bribery and extortion is agreeing to a suspension with pay until a jury considers the charges against him.
The Tulsa World reported (https://bit.ly/23iGqi4 ) that Wagoner County Sheriff Bob Colbert appeared before a judge in the county courthouse Wednesday and announced his voluntary suspension. A grand jury has recommended that Colbert be removed from office for extortion.
Colbert and a sheriff’s office captain are named in three felony counts of bribery and extortion. A grand jury says the pair took $10,000 from two motorists in exchange for not pursuing drug charges against them in December 2014. The panel also said Colbert couldn’t account for $440 of $2,500 he received for undercover operations.
One of Colbert’s lawyers told the judge the situation is a “very political issue.”
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Information from: Tulsa World, https://www.tulsaworld.com
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