johnny law

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) - A federal judge has ordered the arrest of an Alabama sheriff who was held in contempt of court for failing to adequately feed jail inmates while profiting from the skimpy meals. U.S. District Judge U.W. Clemon ordered marshals to take Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett into custody at the end of a hearing Wednesday in Decatur. The sheriff had testified that he legally pocketed about $212,000 over three years with surplus meal money but denied that inmates were improperly fed. Alabama's unusual practice of letting sheriffs profit from feeding inmates dates back to the Depression. Clemon, however, said the sheriff would be held until he comes up with a plan to provide the 300 jail inmates with nutrionally adequate meals, as required by an earlier court order.