Deer Ridge Correctional Institution, seen here in January 2021.

A former superintendent at the state prison near Madras was sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to repay the prison $38,565 in wages for work he never performed, a Jefferson County judge ruled Wednesday.

Richard “Zack” Ackley, who now lives in Bend, was accused of stealing more than $20,000 between March and December 2022 from Deer Ridge Correctional Institution on E. Ashwood Road, east of Madras, according to charging documents. Ackley was clocking paid time, but not showing up to work, Jefferson County District Attorney Steve Leriche confirmed in an email. Ackley pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced in Jefferson County Circuit Court. As part of his sentence, he must also serve two years probation, court records show.

Ackley was initially charged with two counts of aggravated theft, a felony, and official misconduct, a misdemeanor, in 2022. He pleaded guilty before Judge Daina Vitolins to one count of theft and official misconduct.

Ackley was acting superintendent of the prison from 2020 until July 2021, Amber Campbell, an Oregon Department of Corrections spokesperson, wrote in an email.

He was filling in for predecessor Randy Gilbertson, who was charged with a DUII and interfering with an officer at the time.

Ackley began working for Deer Ridge in 2007 as assistant superintendent of security until his retirement in 2022, which came after an internal investigation.

At the time of his retirement, Ackley was making more than $141,000 annually, Campbell said. He was employed by the department for nearly three decades, working his way up the ranks from a correctional officer at the Oregon State Penitentiary.

Ackley, who was reached by phone Thursday, declined to comment for this story. His attorney, John Gilroy, also declined to comment.