A Michigan judge was astonished when a defendant charged with driving with a suspended driver’s license dialed into a virtual court hearing while behind the wheel of a car.
The May 15 hearing in Ann Arbor was for Corey Harris, whose case involved his suspended license. The assistant public defender introduced herself to Judge Cedric Simpson as Harris dialed into the Zoom hearing.
“Mr. Harris, are you driving?” Simpson asked the defendant. “Actually, I’m pulling into my doctor’s office actually,” Harris said. “Just give me one second. I’m parking right now.”
Simpson was seen impatiently waiting for Harris to bring his vehicle to a stop. Once the proceeding began, Harris’ attorney asked Simpson for an adjournment for “possibly up to four weeks if the court would allow.”
“OK, so maybe I don’t understand something. This is a driving while license suspended [case],” Simpson told the public defender. “And he was just driving, and he doesn’t have a license.”
Harris appears to be at a loss for words as the bemused judge appears astonished. “I don’t even know why he would do that,” Simpson said. “So, the defendant’s bond is revoked in this matter.”
He ordered Harris to turn himself in to the Washtenaw County Jail by 6 p.m. that day. “Oh my God,” Harris is heard whispering in disbelief. His attorney then said she would be calling him soon.