Fayetteville chief denies allegations in ethics complaint :: WRAL.com

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By Cullen Browder, WRAL Presenter / Reporter

Fayetteville, NC – An ethics complaint filed against Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins lists more than a dozen issues.

The complaint was brought by Raleigh attorney Mikael Gross, who says he learned about the chief’s issues while representing several officers in disciplinary cases.

An ethics hearing into the allegations against Hawkins has been set for this month, but has been delayed until January.

The official complaint lists what she says were 14 violations by Hawkins, which she denies and her lawyer calls “false accusations without merit.”

The ethics committee will deal with eight of the 14 complaints, including whether Hawkins used his town vehicle for personal reasons and used agents to help him find his lost dog.

The chief publicly denied all the allegations. His attorney released a statement to WRAL News on Tuesday that said:

The so-called “ethics complaint” is without merit and is knowingly compiled from false allegations. Chief Hawkins is limited, for now, in his public response to these allegations as some relate to FPD staff / privacy issues. I am sure the so-called “Applicant” is aware of this fact when he released Chief Hawkins’ responses to the media knowing her legal position as Chief. At this point, we are puzzled that a hearing will actually take place on the basis of the complete lack of evidence to support the claims. We look forward to vigorously and aggressively addressing this “ethics complaint” at the appropriate time.

Hawkins’ attorney said they plan to aggressively fight the allegations.

Gross, who filed the ethics complaint, also represents a longtime officer who brought a civil action against Hawkins, claiming he was wrongly demoted.

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