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Former Chester County sheriff, deputies plead not guilty to new charges

Former Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood and two of his top deputies, Robert Sprouse and Johnny Neal, pleaded not guilty to new charges filed against them last month.

[PAST COVERAGE: Interim sheriff sworn in after Chester County indictments handed down]

Underwood and Sprouse are accused of taking their wives on trips paid for by the county, claiming they were employees.

Underwood is also accused of having on-duty deputies do manual labor on his property.

The three were already charged with covering up a wrongful arrest and lying to the FBI about it. The case could come to trial next month.

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