BOSTON — Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson found himself on the other side of the law Wednesday, as he faced contempt charges in U.S. District Court in Boston.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office says the judge discharged the order to show cause--in other words, found no contempt of court--relating to Sheriff Hodgson's appearance back in July as the only defense witness in the trial of Antonio Freitas. Freitas is a former Bristol County Sheriff's Department employee who was convicted of helping "Codfather" Carlos Rafael smuggle cash profits from his illegal overfishing scheme to Portugal.

The contempt charge came about when Sheriff Hodgson showed up two hours late to testify in Freitas' trial. He told Judge William Young he was late because of traffic on the Southeast Expressway heading into Boston.

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