Ex-Cherokee County deputy faces federal charges

GREENVILLE, S.C. — (AP) A former Cherokee County sheriff's deputy has been arraigned on federal corruption charges.

The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reported that 35-year-old Michael Todd Parker has been charged with converting property for his own use and interfering with commerce by threat of violence.

Sheriff Steve Mueller says Parker is accused of acquiring electronic gambling machines and selling them for personal gain, rather than turning them in as contraband.

Mueller says allegations of Parker's misconduct came when Gaffney police investigated a burglary at a store and found video poker machines in the business. Mueller says the owners told officers they had bought the machines from Parker.

Parker was fired in August. He had been with the sheriff's office 14 years.

A federal public defender would not talk about the case Wednesday.

WSOC