Ex-Sheriff Faces Embezzlement Charges : Law enforcement: Former Inyo County official is accused of misusing public funds. He denies wrongdoing.

Former Inyo County Sheriff Donald Dorsey has been arrested on charges of embezzling and misappropriating public funds.

Dorsey, a past president of the California State Sheriffs Assn., was arrested Thursday at the Del Norte County sheriff’s office in Crescent City by an agent of the state Department of Justice. Dorsey, the Del Norte County undersheriff, was put on administrative leave.

He was arraigned Thursday in Del Norte Justice Court on three felony counts and released on $10,000 bail.

The charges stemmed from Dorsey’s use of money during his tenure as Inyo County sheriff between 1982 and 1990. According to an affidavit by state Department of Justice Special Agent William Stoller, more than $300,000 was spent from a special fund, but the former sheriff was unable to account for most of those expenditures.

Dorsey told investigators that the money had been used for narcotics enforcement, but he could not provide documentation or even specific information about how the money was spent, the affidavit said.

Stoller alleged in the affidavit that Dorsey took the money for his personal use, then lost much of it at various Nevada casinos. The document listed several instances in which Dorsey deposited money in his personal bank account and cashed checks at casinos within a few days of withdrawing money from the special sheriff’s account.

Dorsey denied in an interview Friday that he mishandled any funds. He said the investigation was prompted by the vindictiveness of some Inyo County officials.

“The disturbing thing about all this is that the dynamic behind this is vindictive politics,” Dorsey said. “I think it’s been political from the beginning.”

The state’s investigation was initiated after a request from Inyo County Dist. Atty. Buck Gibbons and Sheriff Allan B. George, who defeated Dorsey in a 1990 election.