Year in prison for ex-W.Va. sheriff in beating
May 13, 2013, 5:36 PM
WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) – A former West Virginia sheriff will spend a year in federal prison for his role in the December 2010 beating of a robbery suspect.
Robert Shirley was sentenced Monday in federal court in Wheeling. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey also ordered that the former lawman serve 18 months’ probation and pay his victim restitution totaling $1,850.
The sentence is less than the 33 months recommended under federal guidelines.
At Shirley’s sentencing, a retired state trooper and three community leaders pleaded for leniency. Shirley apologized for his conduct.
But convicted bank robber Mark Daniel Haines told the court he was helpless at the time of the beating.
The beating occurred after a chase and was captured on a police vehicle’s surveillance video.
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