The case against suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez took another turn as a co-defendant, Sheldon Wetherholt, was booked on charges linked to an alleged illegal gambling operation. Wetherholt, 58, was charged with one count of racketeering and one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, the same charges facing Lopez, according to ClickOrlando.
After being implicated in what's touted as a significant breach of trust involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal cash payments since 2020, Lopez remains in jail with a $1 million bond. His co-defendant Wetherholt, self-surrendered to authorities, told the judge at his bond hearing that he's been fired from his job and is caring for his two adult sons with serious mental health issues, Wetherholt has no criminal history, and the judge, acknowledging these factors, set his bail at $100,000 with conditions that include GPS monitoring and surrendering of firearms, as reported by WFTV in their coverage.
Wetherholt's arrest marks the fourth person arraigned in this case, joining the ranks of Carol Cote, Sharon Fedrick, and Ying Zhang—the latter of whom has not been apprehended. According to an affidavit cited by ClickOrlando, Lopez had been accepting illegal cash payments and using his office to obstruct criminal investigations and maintain ongoing illicit activity.
