Rutherford county sheriff Robert Arnold's email was hacked while on vacation three days after being indicted by a federal grand jury on criminal charges.
Arnold took a week's vacation just three days after a federal grand jury accused him of everything from fraud to bribery and misuse of authority in connection with an E-Cigs scandal at the jail.
Not long after his indictment, someone hacked into Arnold's email posting this message: "Come on over. I'm having a party. Tell your friends."
There was no party, but Arnold said the vacation was planned before his legal troubles, and he planned to return to work.
Yet, Arnold did not offer the same option to one of his deputies.
"What we have is...We have a dirty cop," said Arnold talking about former deputy Luis Flores three ago. The feds arrested Flores on a drug smuggling case. The sheriff came down hard before Flores even went to trial.
"We as a department have a black eye and a busted jaw right now," said Arnold who cut up Flores' badge ... vowing to end the deputy's career.
"So he can never -- even if he gets through this -- never be an officer again," said Arnold.
Many have said the same thing about Arnold. The sheriff vowed to mount a defense with a lawyer from a prominent Nashville firm.
How he paid for his defense is the topic of this bogus Craigslist Ad:
"E Cigs for Sale. I would not try to sell them at the local jail. Must sell to pay my growing legal bills."
Many wonder how much longer the sheriff will remain on the job. He's said he won't resign and if the case ends up in court it could be at least six months before a trial.
If no plea deal is reached, the federal judge will likely set an quick trial date for Arnold.
But, sources told Newschannel 5 there's a mountain of evidence in this case and the sheriff's defense team will likely be given months to prepare.
