Judge OKs release of Ala. sheriff jailed over food

A federal judge has ordered the release of an Alabama sheriff after ruling that the sheriff purposely fed jail inmates skimpy meals so he could profit from state funds.

U.S. District Judge U.W. Clemon issued a brief order Thursday saying Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett could be freed based on promises from his lawyer, who presented the court with a plan for improving the jailhouse meals.

The sheriff’s whereabouts weren’t immediately clear, but Clemon ordered his arrest late Wednesday after a hearing in which Bartlett said he made $212,000 over three years by cheaply feeding prisoners, some of whom complained of constant hunger in jail.