A Michigan man relentlessly mocked for driving a car during a Zoom court appearance never had a license in the first place.
The new development is the latest in the saga surrounding Corey Harris, 44, after footage from a May 15 hearing from a traffic stop in October gained traction online.
He was said to have a suspended license, prompting Judge Cedric Simpson to express disbelief that he had signed such a hearing while behind the wheel.
Harris, a prominent member of the Ann Arbor community, proceeded to claim it was due to a medical emergency, before saying In reality, the order to suspend his license was revoked in 2022, but never sent to the proper authorities.
This was true, but Harris, like the state, was unaware of this oversight. The update, which apparently left him safe, was rejected in court on Wednesday. There, Simpson revealed that Harris never had a Michigan license in the first place.
He has since been imprisoned again, after a heated hearing.
The new development is the latest in the saga surrounding Corey Harris, 44, after footage from a May 15 hearing over a traffic stop in October gained traction on social media. He was jailed again on Wednesday.
He was said to have a suspended license, prompting Judge Cedric Simpson to express disbelief that he had signed the driving hearing. Simpson, fresh from a deep dive into the driver’s history, is seen during Harris’ final hearing on Wednesday.
It has never had a license! Simpson said Wednesday, seeking to finally set the record straight in the strange Harris case.
‘And it has never been licensed in any of the other 49 states or commonwealths that make up this country,’ added the visibly fed up jurist.
He went on to explain how Harris had his driving privileges suspended, not his license, and also had a state non-driving ID.
In Michigan, you cannot have a driver’s license and another form of state identification at the same time, a point Simpson understood when he arrived with receipts to refute the driver.
“When they suspended her license… they don’t suspend the license, they suspend the privilege to drive in the state,” he said, noting how the suspension technically still would have applied even if Harris had obtained a license at some point after the fact. .
‘So, if you had a Kentucky license, you would have been allowed to drive anywhere Kentucky allowed you to drive, you just couldn’t drive in Michigan because your privileges were restricted.
‘I didn’t have a license. Never,’ Simpson reiterated, after his court was the subject of unfounded public shaming last Monday.
Harris revealed that day that the order to suspend his non-existent license was rescinded in January 2022, but the news never reached him or the state.
It comes three weeks after Harris was caught driving with a suspended license, even though he never had one in the first place. Judge Cedric Simpson, in turn, expressed disbelief that Harris would sign off on such a hearing while he was behind the wheel. He ordered Harris to go to jail, which he did.
Bolstered by some reporting from 7 News Detroit that uncovered the mistake, Harris at the time vowed to seek justice, while expressing embarrassment over the incident, claiming he was being unfairly lampooned by the general public.
He asked for it to be rectified as soon as possible, before Simpson criticized it on Wednesday.
There, the judge said Harris, who did not speak this time, actually took no steps to regain his driving privileges.
‘The reason I know is because, Mr. Harris, on December 28, 2023, do you know where I was?’ the judge asks in footage of the hearing filmed by 7 Action News
“You were in the Secretary of State’s office,” he snapped. “You were at the Secretary of State’s office because you redid it and got your new Michigan ID.”
He added: “The way I know he never had a license is because, on May 3, 1999, he was 19 at the time, he applied for his first Michigan ID.
“Religiously, every year, you get a new ID. And then he knows that he doesn’t have a license.’
Harris’ lawyer, in turn, argued that his client was not responsible for the ‘fuss’ surrounding the case, stating: ‘He may have made some comments but he didn’t start the fuss.’
Simpson, in turn, cited Harris’ very public comments during her television interview, which he said did not help his case. Meanwhile, Harris watched silently, wearing a bright yellow T-shirt that said “trust me.”
Simpson also cited Harris’ very public comments about the charges, which he said did not help his case. Meanwhile, Harris watched silently, wearing a bright yellow T-shirt that said “trust me.”
“The only thing I don’t like is when people don’t take responsibility for what they’ve done,” Simpson said, not believing the defendant’s new defense.
“The only thing I don’t like is when people don’t take responsibility for what they’ve done,” Simpson said, not believing the defendant’s new defense.
“The person to blame is the person who was looking in the mirror.”
‘Just make it yours!’ She continued adding, almost screaming at one point.
“Once you own it, it’s much easier to move forward.”
Harris’ attorney, Dionne E. Webster-Cox, responded that Your client was working to obtain a license and paid the reinstatement fee after his suspension,
He also has a permit test scheduled this week, after spending two days in the county jail following the other, more widely watched hearing on May 15.
“I just want him to have a license,” the judge snapped, finally revealing that Harris had a warrant for driving with a suspended license nine years ago, and asking officers to take him into custody.
Webster-Cox, dressed in a bright green jacket, expressed surprise at this, after which Simpson offered him some harsher words.
“The shocking thing about this is that it’s for driving with his license suspended and he didn’t take charge,” he said, ordering that he be held until Thursday unless police in Allen Park, where the crime occurred, arrest him. above.
Harris, seen here in court on Wednesday, is due back for another hearing on August 7. He will remain in custody until at least Thursday, at which time he will be allowed out on $500 bail.
‘Mister. Harris, are you driving? Simpson is heard asking during the hearing two weeks ago, which concluded with Harris’ bail being revoked and Simpson ordering him to surrender to police by 6 p.m.
Harris, in turn, responded that he was behind the wheel, to which Simpson expressed surprise.
“Okay, maybe I don’t understand something,” the Ann Arbor jurist says, visibly incredulous.
‘This is a driving with a suspended license (case)… And he was just driving and he doesn’t have a license.’
Harris, at this point, also seems surprised and tells Simpson that he had been parking in the parking lot of a doctor’s office for an appointment, which was later revealed to be for his wife.
However, the judge was not convinced and ruled that Harris should turn himself in and spend two days in the county jail.
He reported to the Washtenaw County Jail that day.
His next court appearance is scheduled for August 7.