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Former longtime Santa Clara County sheriff Laurie Smith was formally removed from office Tuesday by the Superior Court as a result of guilty verdicts in her civil corruption trial that concluded earlier this month.
The unusual trial, which sought only to remove Laurie Smith from office, continued even after Smith abruptly stepped down Monday. She was found guilty on six counts of committing willful or corrupt misconduct in office.
Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith stepped down before a jury reached a verdict in the civil corruption trial that could have led to her removal from office.
Laurie Smith was the first woman ever elected sheriff in California, and has served as Santa Clara County Sheriff since 1998, but just resigned in disgrace as a corruption trial was likely to force her out anyway.