HART, MI - Former Oceana County Sheriff Deputy Wesley John Hanks last week pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for turfing a property owner's yard and setting off a large, mortar-round style firework.

Now, he's trying to get his job back.

Hanks' attorney through the Police Officers Association of Michigan, Douglas Gutscher, said an arbitration meeting is set for late April.

Arbitration will amount to a miniature hearing before an independent arbiter, where the sheriff's office and Hanks each will be allowed to present their side of the story, Gutscher said.

Generally speaking, he said, it's not unheard of for officers of the law to retain or regain employment despite misdemeanor offenses, even including drunk driving in some cases, although there are often penalties involved.

"Misdemeanor convictions in general are not necessarily disqualifying for employment, but each case is different," Gutscher said.

Hanks had been charged with misdemeanor destruction of trees, shrubs and crops relating to an event in the early morning hours of Aug. 3, 2016. Newaygo County Prosecuting Attorney Robert D. Springstead handled prosecution of the case to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

Hanks and an 18-year-old driver rode into the victim's yard, and Hanks tossed out a 1.75-inch mortar round firework, Springstead said. The 18-year-old, who drove the vehicle, wasn't prosecuted in exchange for working with law enforcement.

Hanks had worked for the sheriff's office for roughly 11 years, Gutscher said, first in the jail but later on road patrol.

Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast didn't return a phone call Feb. 6 seeking comment for this story.

The Oceana County Press reported that Mast said Hanks was employed as Oceana County Sheriff's deputy at the date of the crime, but was fired in September by now-retired sheriff Robert Farber, in part because Hanks was under criminal investigation.

The case had been set for a trial Jan. 31, before Hanks pleaded guilty. An additional charge of using a police radio while committing a crime was dismissed in exchange for the plea.

Springstead said the plea surprised him, because people who work for the criminal justice system often push for a trial - hoping to be found not guilty, which makes it easier for them to continue in their chosen line of work.

"For them, there's a lot at stake," Springstead said.

Gutscher said his client may not have known the firework was lit when it was handed to him, and could have thrown it out just to prevent the firework from going off in the vehicle.

Springstead said he didn't believe it was a harmless prank. He added that it was fortunate there were no people or animals in the yard when the turfing occurred, and that nothing on the property caught fire when sparks and pieces of the firework landed on the roof home and yard.

He added that "you don't need a crystal ball" to see that nothing good could come from setting off such a large firework, and Hanks should have known better.

"Police officers are used to seeing the results of people using bad judgement," he said. "Firefighters are used to seeing the results of bad judgement."