I’m not a big fan of McDonald’s fast food but I am fond of their old “you deserve a break today” slogan because we all deserve that sometimes, don’t we?
With that in mind, let us take a quick break from the Trump trial and the media-driven Alito flag drama to talk about an incredible case out of Michigan where a man with a suspended driver’s license landed himself in hot water quick with a judge after joining a bond hearing on his charges via a Zoom call – all while driving.
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What made it even worse, as local reports noted , is that Michigan has a law against hands-free driving:
Corey Harris’ joined his May 15 court hearing from his driver’s seat, holding his cell phone and actively driving, violating Michigan’s hands-free driving law. He was charged in April after reportedly driving with a suspended license in Pittsfield Township.
When Harris joined the Zoom hearing, Judge Cedric Simpson immediately asked if he was driving. It was the first words out of his mouth.
“I’m pulling into my doctor’s office,” Harris replied. “Give me a second.”
I went downhill for Harris from there.
Watch below as an incredulous Judge Simpson, sporting a wry grin, questions both Harris and his attorney, Natalie Pate, about why a man who has a suspended license and who was previously caught driving with a suspended license would join a bond hearing on the matter while behind the wheel on the road and holding the cell phone for a video call.
At the end of it, Simpson did not play games.
“Defendant’s bond is revoked in this matter,” he announced. “The defendant must turn himself in to the Washtenaw County Jail by 6 pm today. Failure to turn himself in will result in a bench warrant with no bond.”
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Someone in the comments section to the CBS News tweet pointed to a somewhat similar incident from May 2021 involving Ohio state Sen. Andrew Brenner (R), who infamously joined a government Zoom video conference call while driving and using a digital background to make it look like he was at home. The seatbelt wasn’t the only thing that gave him away, though.
That same day, a distracted driving bill had been introduced in the Ohio House:
“Senator Brenner was simply following the law, using hands-free audio technology,” his spokesman, John Fortney claimed at the time, insulting the intelligence of Ohio voters in the process.
In any event, whether Corey Harris learns his lesson this time around remains to be seen. But one thing is for certain: Judge Cedric Simpson has earned the kudos of many Americans for how he handled being a witness to the defendant committing the same offense once again, with it all being caught on tape.
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Flashback–>>