Student field trips to city hall and the fire department have been cancelled in Plainfield Township, Michigan until city officials agree to run criminal background checks on all employees. The decision is a response to the arrest of a local fireman. Jeffrey is accused of soliciting sex from teenage boys online.
Hawkins was registered as a sex offender after his 1997 conviction on sex charges involving a family member. He started working as a fireman in 1993 but was appointed deputy clerk of the township in 2000. He is now facing four felony counts.
The personnel committee is expected to consider requiring background checks of new employees at its December 3 meeting. School officials said they are concerned because they never knew that a convicted sex offender was working in a fire department that is located within 1,000 feet of a school, which is in violation of a state law.
Hawkins could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/11/rockford_northview_schools_sus.html
