The saying goes: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” The sheriff in Amarillo faces up to life in prison after being convicted of accepting bribes from a vendor who supplied food for the county jail. He was busted for eating about 36 meals paid by Mid-America executives or employees, the Dallas-based food service company.

The Houston Chronicle reports that, “Potter County Sheriff Mike Shumate was found guilty Thursday of engaging in organized criminal activity after a 12-woman jury deliberated about seven hours. He was acquitted on a separate count of accepting improper campaign contributions.”

Shumate was defeated in the March primary elections and removed from office after the verdict. He had been taken into custody.

During the trial, prosecutors showed receipts and bank statements to prove the ex-sheriff ate free meals. But, it was also revealed that Shumate refused to accept a $10,000 bribe from Mid-America founder Jack Madera.

Shumate seemed destined to be convicted of the crime when his ex-wife testified against him. She was described as the “meanest woman in Amarillo,” according to Shumate’s attorney, Selden Hale.

The Texas Attorney General’s office prosecuted the case and the sentencing phase begins Tuesday.

The Dallas Blog hasn’t heard any word on whether the state attorney general’s office will launch an investigation into the Dallas County District Attorney’s office. Two weeks ago, Fox 4 News reported that D.A. Watkins’ office had solicited corporations to provide expensive gifts to his employees for a Christmas Party. These actions would be considered bribery.

To read the entire article from the Houston Chronicle, link here:

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it