Former Brunswick sheriff starts prison sentence

Former Brunswick County sheriff Ronald Hewett, 45, started serving his sentence Tuesday for his federal conviction of obstructing justice.

Hewett surrendered to authorities Tuesday and was admitted to the low-security prison at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, which is near the Research Triangle area, according to Traci Billingsley, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

In October, a federal judge sentenced Hewett to 16 months in prison on the conviction and ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine and serve two years of probation. The judge recommended Butner because it offers substance abuse treatment, according to testimony at his sentencing hearing. Hewett’s lawyer has said Hewett has depended on substances in the past, and several of his former deputies signed affidavits saying Hewett had admitted mixing alcohol with sleeping aids.

The conviction followed a U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation into Hewett, which started in December 2006, because of suspicions Hewett misused public funds by having deputies work on his property.

A federal prosecutor also said Hewett ordered employees to campaign on county time and that he made sexual comments to employees.

Authorities said Hewett obstructed the investigation by telling deputies to be vague in their testimony to a grand jury or to assert their Fifth Amendment privilege.

At a sentencing hearing in Raleigh in October, Hewett apologized for his actions.

According to North Carolina Department of Correction records, Hewett was convicted Oct. 13 in state court on an embezzlement charge. He was sentenced to three years probation on that conviction.

David Reynolds: 343-2075

dave.reynolds@starnewsonline.com