This 2021 photo shows Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel via AP) The Associated Press

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- A sheriff in central Florida was arrested Thursday on charges of racketeering and conspiracy as part of what state authorities described as a probe into a massive gambling operation.

Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was arrested on first-degree felonies and taken to the jail in nearby Lake County, Florida. Osceola County is south of Orlando, and part of the county is home to Walt Disney World.

Lopez took campaign contributions and personal payments as well as protected the gambling operation, according to a statement put out by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Lopez in an executive order and appoi

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