Corey Harris, a man from Detroit, USA, recently went viral for his bizarre Zoom court hearing. During the hearing, he was seen driving a car when the judge noted that he had a suspended licence. Now, the man is once again in trouble with the law enforcement. During the now-viral Zoom court hearing, the judge asked Corey Harris to turn himself in at the Washtenaw County jail by 6 pm that day. Corey Harris subsequently spent two days in jail. He later claimed that the licence issue was caused by a “clerical error”. Now, in a strange turn of events, it was revealed that he “never had a valid driver’s licence” to begin with.
According to the Associated Press, the 44-year-old was arrested on Wednesday. Corey Harris was in a court near Ann Arbor in Michigan to attend a follow-up hearing on a charge of driving with a suspended licence. During the hearing, Judge J Cedric Simpson noted that there was a 2015 warrant for his arrest in Allen Park, a Detroit suburb.
The judge also addressed some news reports that suggested Corey Harris might be a victim of legal misunderstanding and state incompetence. According to the New York Post, the judge categorically said, “Let me make it very clear, based on what the court looked at — (Harris) has never had a Michigan licence. Ever. And he has never had a licence in the other 49 states and commonwealths that form up this great union. He has never had a licence.” Additionally, the Michigan secretary of state, who is responsible for issuing licences, said the judge was right.
According to the New York Post, Dionne Webster-Cox, Corey Harris’ new defence attorney, admitted that her client made a mistake by driving during his online court hearing. She also told the court that Corey Harris has paid all the due reinstatement fees and has an appointment with the Secretary of State’s Office to get his learner’s permit and ultimately his driver’s licence. The defence attorney said, “From this day forward, he is working diligently to take the steps necessary to get a driver’s licence.”
Dionne Webster-Cox told the Associated Press that while she can not do anything about her client’s past transgressions, she now aims to get his pending charges cleared up and help him get a valid driver’s licence.