Former West Virginia Sheriff Gets One Year in Prison for Beating Robbery Suspect

Caught on tape, the sheriff asked for leniency

A former West Virginia sheriff will spend a year in federal prison for his role in the December 2010 beating of a robbery suspect.

Robert Shirley was sentenced Monday in federal court in Wheeling. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey also ordered that the former lawman serve 18 months' probation and pay his victim restitution totaling $1,850.

The sentence is less than the 33 months recommended under federal guidelines.