A Martinsville man pleaded guilty Monday to selling drugs that had been stolen from evidence by members of the Henry County Sheriff's Office.

William Herman Brown also told a judge that when an FBI agent asked him about his activities, he lied.

Brown is one of a half-dozen private citizens indicted last year along with 13 current and former members of the sheriff's office.

According to court documents, vice officer David Allan King took drugs from the property room, falsified destruction orders for them and then sold them through Sgt. James Alden Vaught to Brown and two other civilians.

The indictment states that Brown's part of the conspiracy involved multiple kilograms of cocaine, ounces of crack and hundreds of pounds of marijuana.

Vaught confessed to authorities early in the investigation and became an informant, wearing a wire during conversations with many fellow defendants.

Both Vaught and King, along with four others including Brown, have already pleaded guilty.

In exchange for Brown's guilty plea, prosecutors dropped two charges of obstruction.

Brown could be ordered to serve up to 25 years in prison for the crimes, but he and others who have pleaded guilty could also receive reduced sentences for their cooperation.

Former Henry County Sheriff Frank Cassell, who is accused of knowing about the crimes but doing nothing, has not yet gone to trial.

--Lindsey Nair