The Michigan man who was caught driving while participating in a Zoom court hearing about his suspended license says he was mortified by the incident but shouldn’t have been sent to prison over it.
In a recent interview with 7 Detroit News, Corey Harris admitted he was “very embarrassed” during the May 15 virtual hearing with the judge J. Cedric Simpson because he has strong ties to his local church and community in Ann Arbor.
05/15/24
YouTube / Hon J Cedric Simpson Live Feed
During the recorded Zoom call, Harris was seen driving to a doctor’s office with his license suspended while Judge Simpson was in a daze. revoked his bond at the scene and sent him to the Washtenaw County Jail.
Last week, video of the hearing went viral as Harris spent two days behind bars before being released.
During his interview with 7 News, Harris said he was just thinking about “getting my wife medical help” at the doctor’s office. He added: “I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I had my license suspended. I don’t care about all that.”
Harris also stated that his license should not have been suspended in the first place, attributing the error to Saginaw Friend of the Court. He said the court should have lifted the suspension two years ago.
According to 7 News, Harris’ driving privileges were initially frozen in 2010 because of unpaid child support in Saginaw County.
In 2022, another judge reportedly lifted the suspension, reinstating Harris’ driving privileges.
But 7 News has learned that those details were apparently never passed on to the Secretary of State’s Office, which still listed Harris’ license as suspended late last week.
TMZ. with
Judge Simpson reportedly consulted Secretary of State records when he ordered Harris’ arrest. Harris told the news station that he is trying to resolve the alleged mix-up.