A former Barbour County Sheriff will spend three years in jail for using his office for personal gain.
Leroy Upshaw, 52, of Eufaula, worked as sheriff for 12 years until January 2019. He was charged with stealing $32,135.85 by writing checks to himself and having a subordinate also write checks. The funds came from sheriff's office funds meant for law enforcement purposes and the care of inmates.
The Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts found Upshaw personally liable for $29,000 and told him to repay it. Upshaw, in turn, paid the sheriff's office back with more funds from the sheriff's office fund. The original theft and subsequent coverup led to Thursday's sentence.
The court handed down a 10-year split sentence to Upshaw, who will serve his three-year sentence in Barbour County Community Corrections as well as pay a $30,000 fine.
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