Des Moines, Iowa ? An Iowa sheriff was charged Friday with stealing $120,000 from bundles of cash seized when deputies stopped a suspicious vehicle in March.

Dallas County Sheriff Brian Gilbert, 43, was charged with felony theft and released from Polk County Jail in Des Moines after posting a $13,000 bond, according to Iowa Department of Public Safety spokesman Jim Saunders.

Gilbert’s attorney, F. Montgomery Brown, said he and his client are “going to defend this vigorously.” He said Gilbert plans to continue serving as sheriff, an office he has held since 2004.

Employees in Gilbert’s department raised concerns about the seized money that eventually led to an investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Deputies found $781,000 hidden in 27 small packets throughout a car that was stopped March 15 for having dark tinted windows. The money was photographed, then placed in Gilbert’s vehicle, according to investigators.

Photos taken the next day when the money was counted showed only 26 packets.