MIDLAND, Texas --
A West Texas sheriff has been sentenced to serve 100 days in the jail he used to run after jurors convicted him of retaliating against two nurses who complained to state medical regulators about a physician friend of his.
Winkler County Sheriff Robert L. Roberts Jr. was convicted of two counts each of retaliation and misuse of official information, both felonies, and two counts of one misdemeanor charge of official oppression. A judge sentenced him under the terms of a plea agreement quickly hammered out after the conviction.
Roberts was accused of retaliating against the nurses after they sent an unsigned letter to the Texas Medical Board about his doctor friend in 2009. The nurses were later fired and indicted. One was acquitted and charges were dropped against the other.