STAUNTON, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man who was serving as a town's police chief when he was arrested on drug charges earlier this year has pleaded guilty to stealing painkillers from a friend.
The News Leader reports that 30-year-old Joseph W. Sholes pleaded guilty to drug and theft charges Tuesday, and avoided jail time. The charges will be dismissed in two years if he avoids wrongdoing.
Craigsville Mayor Richard Fox had placed Sholes on administrative leave, but said the charges were "bogus." He said Tuesday that Sholes resigned two weeks ago.
The town of more than 900 people has just one police officer. The position is being temporarily filled. Sholes was hired in September 2017, after he resigned from the Augusta County Sheriff's Office after crashing three vehicles in seven years.