HOUSTON – A city of Houston plumbing inspector is in hot water after investigators say they caught him taking bribes.
Investigators say Robert Campbell abused his power as a plumbing inspector for the city, allegedly accepting cash bribes to allow construction work to move forward without a permit.
Detectives say a Houston police undercover sting put Campbell behind bars, where he's charged with bribery. Court documents allege Campbell, 50, worked as a plumbing inspector for the city and while negotiating with undercover officers he agreed to take a cash bribe.
In exchange, they say Campbell planned to allow a construction project at 7800 Holt Road to move forward without the proper permit.
Kelvin Antoine lives and works in the area and says he expects more from city employees like Campbell.
"If they're breaking the law, it's telling other people that it's alright for them to break the law," said Antoine. "He's setting a bad example."
Court documents also show Campbell has a lengthy criminal record with convictions for manufacturing a drugs and theft by check.
The city's human resources department says they run background checks on job applicants. If a person has a conviction and has fulfilled the terms of their sentence they are not automatically ruled out as an employee. But the conviction is weighed with all other aspects of their job qualifications.
If convicted on this bribery charge, this will add another felony to Campbell's record.
Campbell was arrested Wednesday. He was released on $30,000 bond.