Former Olney police chief sentenced to 10 years in prison

Former Olney acting police chief Robert Michael Cross was sentenced Monday, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, to 10 years in federal prison for threatening an individual a gunpoint.

Cross, 35, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 29 to the charge following an investigation by the FBI Dallas Field Office, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. 

Cross pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights under the color of law, which means acts done within his lawful authority or while “pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties,” depriving a person of a right or privilege under U.S. laws and those protected by the constitution, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“The city of Olney deserves police officers with respect for the rule of law,” U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox wrote Tuesday in a press release. “Instead, this defendant abused his power, stripping citizens of their dignity for his own perverse ends. We are gratified he has been held to account for his despicable behavior.”

For the full story, see the Saturday, March 14 edition of The Graham Leader.