Patrick Sullivan, a former Colorado sheriff, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to charges he traded meth for sex with male prostitutes, NBC affiliate KUSA reported.

The 69-year-old Sullivan, who was once named national Sheriff of the Year, was sentenced to 38 days in jail with an 8-day credit for days already served. He will serve that jail time in the Arapahoe County jail named after him.

“I apologize to the court, to the community, to my family,” Sullivan said in court. “There is no excuse for my behavior.”

Sullivan was arrested in November when he showed up at a home in hopes of trading methamphetamine for sex with a male prostitute. The exchange was an undercover sting operation.

“The defense painted him as helping individuals, I respectfully differ,” Deputy Attorney General Michael Dougherty said outside the courtroom. “He was using meth to manipulate individuals into having sex with him. And he used his authority and his former prestige as a sheriff.”

In 2001, Sullivan was named Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriffs' Association.