ANN ARBOR, Michigan — A Michigan man who appeared virtually at a Washtenaw County court hearing earlier this month has been ordered by a judge to turn himself in after his dash cam showed him actively driving with a suspended license.
The incident happened during a hearing on May 15. Corey Harris, 44, was scheduled to appear for a hearing on charges stemming from an earlier arrest in Pittsfield Township, just south of Ann Arbor.
Video of the hearing shows the moment Harris joined the audience, visibly behind the wheel of a moving car. Michigan has a law on its books that prohibits the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving.
After Harris joined Zoom, Judge J. Cedric Simpson immediately asked him if he was driving.
“I'm actually going into my doctor's office, so give me a second. I'm parking right now,” Harris replied.
As Harris continued to drive on camera, Simpson could be seen mouthing, “Wow.” He then said, “So maybe I'm misunderstanding something. This is a driver's license with a suspended driver's license (case) … and he was just driving and didn't have a license?”
14th District Court/YouTube
Harris remained on camera, a look of realization on his face, as lawyers told Simpson that he had just broadcast to the entire courtroom that he was driving without a valid license.
“I don't even know why I would do that,” Simpson said. “The defendant's bond is therefore revoked in this matter. The defendant must surrender to the Washtenaw County Jail by 6 p.m. today. Failure to surrender will result in a court order without bail”.
Harris continued to broadcast to the Zoom court as he threw back his head in disbelief and said, “Oh my God.”
Harris was released two days later and is scheduled to appear in court again on June 5.
