A PLAINFIELD, MICHIGAN, FIRE LIEUTENANT IS SUSPENDED following disclosure that he was solciting sex from a 15-yr.old girl on the Facebook online social network. Jeff Hawkins, 40, is no stranger to sexual predatory practices. He was convicted in 1997 of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct with a teenager between the ages of 13 and 16. The misdemeanor offense involves force or coercion, or an incapacitated victim.
Grand Rapids Press file photo
Hawkins is a paid-on-call employee of the fire department as well as a deputy clerk in the Township offices. He is a registered sex offender, yet the township chose to employ him despite knowing about his past. The Grand Rapids Press has the STORY HERE which includes these key points:
A Plainfield Township firefighter and deputy clerk — who township officials knew was a registered sex offenderbut visited local schools anyway — is being investigated for allegedly soliciting a teenager for sex online via Facebook, police said Friday.
Township Fire Chief David Peterson acknowledged he was aware of Hawkins’ status as a sex offender and the circumstances behind the 1997 conviction.
He declined to discuss what led to the criminal charge, but said he felt it was not a risk for Hawkins to remain as a firefighter or to visit schools as he did last month for a safety presentation.
“He’s been a very good employee and I’ve never had any question of impropriety while he was working on department matters,” Peterson said. Firegeezer notes: Well, he was obviously wrong there.
WXSP-TV Grand Rapids has this video report:
Related story: See Firegeezer report on a similar story of naivete from McDonough, Georgia, HERE.
Also on FireGeezer…
- Firefighter Sentenced to Prison for Sex Crime – December 14, 2011
