Overview

• Wright agreed to plead guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and obtaining controlled substances by misrepresentation.
• Court records and prosecutors say he took cash from a deputies’ benevolence fund and obtained painkillers, including using a blank fund check to pay a dealer for oxycodone and hydrocodone.
• Former chaplain Amos Durham and former deputy hire Lawson Watson also agreed to plead guilty, with prosecutors alleging Durham helped remove more than $28,000 from the benevolence fund and investigators saying Watson collected over $200,000 for no work and lacked academy certification records.
• The plea requires at least $440,000 in restitution and carries a combined statutory maximum near 30 years, though a sentencing date has not been set.
• The plea agreement says prosecutors will not pursue a separate firearm-possession charge tied to drug addiction, and Wright’s downfall followed Post and Courier reporting on personal use of a county credit card and non-police helicopter flights.