Former Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano was booked into the Santa Fe County jail at 11:09 a.m. Friday to begin a three-month jail sentence for his guilty plea to selling county property on eBay.

With good time, he could be released in about six weeks.

He will be housed in protective custody while in the jail, which as sheriff he once helped oversee.

Once released, the 47-year-old former lawman will have to serve nine months on electronic monitoring followed by four years of probation.

He pleaded guilty in July to five felony fraud charges.

He had resigned in November after he was caught selling protective vests and other county-owned items on eBay.

"The rest of my life I'll keep saying I'm sorry because I don't know what else to say," he told the sentencing judge. "... I'm not making excuses. There is no excuse."

Ordinarily, defendants in this situation with no prior criminal history might be given a conditional discharge, allowing them to avoid jail time and a felony conviction on their record.

Last month, Solano was ordered to pay an estimated $25,000 in restitution and at his sentencing provided a $10,000 check to start repayment.