SAN JOSE, Calif. - Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith was formally accused of "willful and corrupt misconduct" by a grand jury that had investigated the embattled official.Smith could be removed from office depending on what comes of the civil grand jury's report, which cited evidence of corruption and jail mismanagement, among other missteps.Court documents filed Tuesday revealed that the grand jury accused Smith of seven corruption-related acts, including favoritism and improperly issuing concealed-carry weapons permits.Specifically, the sheriff was accused of seven corruption-related acts.
Six involve ongoing criminal indictments alleging Smith engaged in political favoritism and traded favors by leveraging her control over issuing.