Former Missouri Sheriff Sentenced to 6 Months in Fed Prison

The former sheriff of a rural southeastern Missouri county accused of crimes ranging from fraud to assault was sentenced Monday to six months in federal prison.

Former Mississippi County Sheriff Cory Hutcheson was originally charged with 28 federal counts but pleaded guilty in November to just two of them, wire fraud and identity theft. Hutcheson resigned after the guilty plea.

Hutcheson apologized during Monday’s hearing. Federal guidelines would have allowed up to 16 months in prison. He will serve four months of home confinement and three years of supervised release after the prison sentence.

Investigators painted a picture of a law enforcement officer out of control. In addition to the criminal case, Hutcheson was named in a lawsuit over the 2017 death of an inmate at the county jail.