Former Sheriff Jerry R. Jorgensen, 64, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor official misconduct charge in a deal that will clear his record if he stays out of trouble for six months.

Jorgenson’s lawyer said he was not involved in the abuse, but agreed to the deal to take responsibility for the sheriff’s department misconduct that prosecutors have said happened under his leadership.

“He didn’t feel like he had committed any real crime, but he just felt horrible that during his time as sheriff this was alleged to have happened,” said the lawyer, Blake Hamilton.

Two other deputies were also charged with misdemeanor misconduct in the case involving allegations dating to 2015.

The state of Utah paid the rural jail to house prison inmates there, but removed them after the investigation — taking away $1.4 million in county revenue.

The jail is in the small town of Manila on the Wyoming border.

All three men have given up their police certifications, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

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