WOODVILLE — The former Wilkinson County justice court clerk accused of taking money and fixing tickets will walk free, but must never run for public office again.

Wanda Fountain, 54, of Woodville, was charged in February 2011 with extortion related to her official duties.

She appeared Tuesday before Sixth District Circuit Court Judge Lillie Blackmon Sanders, where Fountain entered an open plea, refusing to accept the state’s recommended sentence and instead threw herself at the mercy of the court.

Sanders non-adjudicated the sentence, meaning Fountain will not have a conviction on her record and will serve no jail time.

Attorney General Jim Hood’s office prosecuted the case.

“The defendant’s actions were a shameful breach of trust between her and the public she served,” Hood said in a press release.

Videotaped evidence showed Fountain accepting money in exchange for fixing tickets, the press release said. Hood’s office did not answer inquiries regarding the specifics of the state’s recommended sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Audit and the Mississippi Highway Patrol.