— Former Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler on Wednesday was sentenced to a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to accepting $5,000 from a contractor who had received city contracts. “I stand before you so ashamed, sorry and absolutely scared to death for what might happen next,” the 78-year-old Tyler told U.S. District Judge James Sweeney II before the sentence was imposed. Tyler was indicted by a federal grand jury in Indianapolis in November 2019 — a few weeks before his second and final term as Muncie mayor ended — on a count of theft of government funds. “I could have said no (to the payment) and I wouldn’t be standing before you today,” Tyler told the judge on Wednesday. The former mayor will remain free for the time being until told by federal authorities when to report to prison.