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Ex-East St. Louis police chief Baxton gets year in prison

(via Flickr/steakpinball)

Updated 3:24 with new headline, information on sentence.

The man who stepped down again as East St. Louis' police chief after admitting he stole video game boxes planted by federal agents has been sentenced to a year in prison.

Michael Baxton Sr. faced up to 15 years in prison when he was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis. That's where he pleaded guilty in January to stealing four Xbox games federal agents put in a car last October as part of a sting operation.

Baxton was Alorton's police chief at that time but was later rehired by East St. Louis as the top law enforcer. Baxton resigned from that post a day before entering his guilty plea.

He previously stepped down as East St. Louis police chief in 2009 after his performance was called into question.