MOBILE, Ala. (AP) – A former Alabama sheriff who resigned last year says he is innocent of federal charges that he used improper loans to pay personal expenses including gambling debts.
News outlets report former Clarke County Sheriff William Ray Norris pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements to federally insured banks during a hearing Wednesday.
He was accused of seeking tens of thousands of dollars in loans for the sheriff’s office and using the money for personal debts.
A second man also was indicted. Norris resigned as sheriff a year ago after the state began impeachment proceedings over alleged malfeasance in office.