Alabama Sheriff Stole Jail Food Money to Gamble

A former Alabama sheriff will now have to defend himself in a court of law after he was indicted for allegedly lying on loan applications he filled out and submitted to several banks in a year’s time. The Clarke County sheriff, one William “Ray” Norris, is no longer on the job but he still has to answer for his alleged misdemeanor.

William “Ray” Norris Indicted by Grand Jury

According to prosecutors, Noris applied for four different loans from Alabama banks, totaling $48,000. He argued that the money would be used to maintain his office and cover jail food, but the money may have ended elsewhere.

The prosecution argues that money from Town County National Bank in Camden and Sweet Water State Bank in Sweet Water was used to fuel gambling and personal expenses, and not in any way cover jail expenses.

He took the loans between November 2017 and October 2018 and the average amounts ranged from $9,500 to $14,000. The case began festering which eventually forced Norris out of office in June 2021, with Alabama attorney general Steve Marshall becoming interested in the case of corruption and looking into the case personally.

Originally, Norris was charged with several counts of corruption by Marshall’s office, but after agreeing to step down, the charges were dropped. However, this will not exempt Norris from the federal charges he is now facing.

Norris Agreed to Step Down from Office Before

Norris’ alleged misdemeanor originally targeted by the attorney general included accusations that he received payments from a business to the tune of thousands of dollars.

A guilty sentence at the time could have cost Norris up to 20 years in prison. The charges were dropped, though after the sheriff agreed to go through with the impeachment process instead of attempting to prove his innocence in a court of law.