He read nine novels and got a head start on writing a couple of novels of his own.

Former Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano walked out of jail Friday morning after completing six weeks of a 12-week jail sentence for felony fraud convictions.

He said the time spent inside the jail he once ran, which was shortened for good behavior, was no picnic.

"I've heard people say jail is like a vacation with three meals a day and you get to watch TV all day," Solano said. "Those people probably have never been in jail. It was not an easy six weeks."

The 47-year-old said his time behind bars did give him a lot of time to think.

Solano pleaded guilty in September to taking county-owned items such as protective vests, gun holsters and office supplies and selling them for personal gain on eBay. When he resigned last November, he was one month shy of completing his eighth year as the county's top elected lawman.

His sentence, technically, was for one year of incarceration — three months behind bars and nine months on electronic monitoring, which the state recognizes as incarceration. For the three months behind bars, Solano was eligible for good-time credit, meaning for every day behind bars that he didn't get in trouble, he got one day taken off the back end of his 12-week sentence.

He told The New Mexican on Friday afternoon that he will now get back to making amends for all he's done wrong.

"I'm just going to continue working hard to get through everything I have to do to repay my debt to society," Solano said.

The former sheriff reported Friday afternoon to the county's adult probation and parole office and was fitted for the ankle bracelet he will wear for electronic monitoring for the next nine months. He will be permitted only to go to and from his multiple part-time jobs as he works to pay roughly $25,000 in court-ordered restitution.

The day of his sentencing in September, Solano said he had a $10,000 check to give the court as the first installment. But restitution cannot formally be received by the state except by probation and parole, a system which Solano couldn't enter until he completed his jail sentence.

Now that Solano has made arrangements with the probation office, he is expected to start paying his restitution as early as next week.

Ninth Judicial District Attorney Matt Chandler, the Clovis-based special prosecutor who handled the case, wouldn't comment on Solano's release.

While in jail, Solano was in protective custody, a common practice for former lawmen who could face danger if placed in general population. He said he read nine novels and wrote "more than 200 pages, front and back, so more than 400 pages." Asked whether he was working on a novel of his own, Solano said, "maybe a couple."

He also said the jail staff was "very professional."

Contact Geoff Grammer at 986-3076 or ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com. Read his blog at SantaFeCrime.com.