Ex-Colo. sheriff accused of offering meth for sex

Associated Press

CENTENNIAL, Colo.

The ex-Colorado sheriff was known for his no-nonsense style, his heroism in saving two deputies and for his concern about teenage drug use. He even was named the nation’s sheriff of the year.

Patrick Sullivan, 68, found himself Wednesday in a jail that was named for him, facing charges of offering methamphetamine in exchange for sex from a male acquaintance.

Dressed in an orange jail uniform and walking with a cane, a handcuffed Sullivan watched as a judge raised his bail amount to a half-million dollars and sent him to the Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. Detention Facility.

Sullivan’s arrest has many in suburban Denver’s Arapahoe County where he held sway for nearly two decades wondering what happened to the tough-as-nails lawman they once knew.

The current sheriff, Grayson Robinson, who worked as undersheriff for Sullivan from 1997 until he took over the job in 2002, said the department was shocked and saddened at his arrest.

Robinson said the case still is under investigation, including where and how Sullivan might have gotten the drugs. He declined to say if authorities suspect Sullivan of using drugs.