Ex-Chicago area officer charged in Ohio with wife's death

(Photo from Hamilton County Sheriff's Office)

A suburban Cincinnati man charged with murder in his wife's shooting death is a former suburban Chicago police officer.

Elk Grove Village Police Chief Stephen Schmidt says 57-year-old Jeffrey Hawkins resigned in 1999 when the department started investigating a complaint that he used unnecessary force during an arrest.

Hawkins surrendered to officers at his home Monday after calling 911 and telling the dispatcher he just killed his wife. An Ohio judge set bond at $3 million Tuesday pending grand jury action next week.

Hawkins was with Elk Grove Village police from 1990 to 1999. A spokeswoman for Chicago's Field Museum says he worked as a security officer there from 1999 to 2003.

The village issued a statement saying that the department hasn't had contact with Hawkins since he resigned.