Former Worth County Sheriff Neal Wayne Groom has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for violating the civil rights of women by coercing them into exposing their body parts. The sentence Tuesday was for misdemeanor counts of violating the civil rights of eight women in 2006 and 2007.

Groom was sheriff for eight years before losing a re-election bid in 2008. Groom’s plea agreement says he told women who were the victims of domestic violence or vehicular accidents that they had to expose parts of their bodies to document injuries, even if they weren’t injured. Other women were told Groom had to check for signs of drug use.