NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After pleading guilty, former officer Andrew Delke's life was threatened, which means he is a high-risk inmate with big safety concerns.
Delke pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting of Daniel Hambrick a month ago.
He was charged with first-degree murder in the controversial, high-profile case but reached a plea for voluntary manslaughter and a 36-month sentence -- a deal the Hambrick family did not like or agree to when it was announced in court.
"It's a very disruptive thing to house someone like this or everyone else. The other inmates get wound up. The staff. The difficulties. It's intense," said Davidson County sheriff Daron Hall
Delke is not the first former police officer to be locked up.
"To have law enforcement serving a sentence is rare."
And, it comes with a set of special concerns. The sheriff says any former officer incarcerated is a target.
"You are a trophy in the world of jails and prisons when you are a high-profile circumstance."
Delke is treated like any other high-profile inmate, kept in restrictive housing away from the general population.
"We have an obligation to protect him from himself, from other inmates and the community."
He spends 22-hours alone in his cell and Delke is taking steps to stay occupied. Jail records show a long list of items he's ordered online for his tablet -- everything from video games, like Best Sniper-Desert Hunter and Tetris to movies like "The Unforgiven" and "Men in Black 3" to music like the "Redemption Song" and "Folsom Prison Blues."
Delke's sentence is 36-months with no early parole. However, that sentence shrinks if he stays out of trouble.
"He starts at three years and every month he does he gets a month off the back," said the sheriff.
If you do the math, Delke will likely walk out of the Davidson County Jail by Christmas of next year. Some have wondered why Delke was allowed to serve his time in Davidson County. The sheriff says that's not unusual.
Under the law, if you are convicted of less than six years you serve in the county jail.
