Retired sheriff of Arapahoe County, Colorado, Patrick Sullivan, 69, was taken into custody on Tuesday after pleading guilty in court to felony drug possession and solicitation of a prostitute, the state's attorney general's office said in a statement.
Prosecutors from the office were appointed to the case because of Sullivan's long-time connections with law enforcement in Arapahoe, where the county jail was named after him when he retired in 2002.
Sullivan was arrested last November after two police informants said the former high-profile lawman had exchanged methamphetamine for sex with them in the past, according to an arrest warrant filed in the case.
Police set up a sting operation and arrested Sullivan after he was recorded handing over drugs to one of the informants, the affidavit said.
Sullivan read a brief statement in court apologising for his behaviour, according to Rob McCallum, spokesman for the office of the state court administrator, who attended the hearing.
Sullivan's lawyer told the judge that the defendant had long struggled with his sexuality, McCallum added.
Known as a hard-charging, by-the-book law enforcement officer who was sheriff for 18 years, Sullivan served on national police task forces, even testifying before Congress on law enforcement issues.
The National Sheriffs' Association awarded him its Sheriff of the Year gong in 2001.
The NSA's executive director, Aaron Kennard, called the case "disheartening and devastating" given Sullivan's reputation in the law enforcement community.
