by Ed White and Corey Williams Associated Press Writers
DETROIT (AP) — Prosecutors say Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is near a plea agreement in his perjury case.
The Wayne County prosecutor's office says a plea could come Thursday. Details were not immediately available Wednesday.
The development comes as Gov. Jennifer Granholm holds a hearing that could result in Kilpatrick's removal.
The mayor and a former top aide are charged with perjury, conspiracy, misconduct and obstruction of justice. They are accused of lying during a 2007 trial about having an affair and their roles in the firing of a police official.
Kilpatrick would automatically be removed from office if convicted of a felony. The outcome of the criminal case does not necessarily bear on the governor's hearing.
