Ex-Hamtramck police officer pleads guilty to bribery in towing scandal
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (FOX 2) - A former Hamtramck police officer pleaded guilty last week to bribery for his role in a towing scandal.
Michael Stout, 61, of St. Clair Shores, took bribes from a towing company.
Authorities say Stout accepted bribes, including a vehicle and $1,500 in cash, from a towing company operator. In return, Stout provided information from the Michigan Law Enforcement Information Network (or LEIN), a restricted law enforcement database, to the towing company operator.
Ex-Hamtramck cop charged with bribery as Metro Detroit towing scandal expands
"These cops think they’re above the law, because they get cocky or arrogant, where they think they’re slicker than the feds or state police or even our own investigators," said Dolunt. "And they get caught - and they’re like, 'Wait a minute.'
For example, when the towing company operator told Stout that he was worried that a police vehicle had been following him, Stout called an unwitting employee to search LEIN, so Stout could provide the vehicle’s registration information to the towing company operator and thereby check whether it was a law enforcement vehicle.
He resigned from the Hamtramck Police Department in 2020.
"Mr. Stout violated his oath to serve, and his misconduct was a betrayal of the trust placed upon him by the citizens of Hamtramck and his fellow officers," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "It is important to note that his actions do not represent the brave and exceptional work that our law enforcement officers perform daily."
Stout could spend up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in February.