Ex-Pontiac fire chief convicted of bribe-taking

PONTIAC (AP) -- Ex-Pontiac fire Chief Jeffrey Hawkins has been convicted of bribery for taking payment in exchange for ignoring code violations at a bar. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced last Thursday that an Oakland County Circuit Court jury convicted the 48-year-old of one count of bribery but deadlocked on a second count. Hawkins faces sentencing June 5. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Hawkins retired in 2010 after 22 years with the fire department, including 11 as chief. Schuette says Hawkins solicited a $1,000 bribe in exchange for not citing Little David's Island Bar for fire and other city code violations. The attorney general says the fire chief later accepted cash from an undercover FBI investigator. Published: Mon, Apr 29, 2013