Driver who went viral for appearing at hearing for driving with suspended license is vindicated due to shocking twist
He went viral for appearing at virtual court whilst driving, but a 'clerical error' has seen justice restored
A man who was jailed for appearing at a virtual hearing about his suspended driving licence from the driving seat of his car, has had the ruling changed.
Corey Harris, a Michigan resident, became an internet sensation when he joined a virtual hearing from what appeared to be the driving seat of a car.
Whilst being on the call from your car and on the road is bad enough, it was especially poor for Harris who was being prosecuted for driving with an alleged suspended licence.
Watch the video here:
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In the now viral video, a confused judge is left dumbfounded as he watched Harris join the virtual hearing with his seatbelt in full view and the road speeding past him.
“OK, so maybe I don’t understand something. This is a driving while license suspended [case], and he was just driving, and he didn’t have a license,” Judge Simpson asked, to which Natalie Tate, Harris’s public defender, affirmed.
In the following moments, Judge Simpson examined Harris' file, gaining confirmation that his license was still suspended, meaning that the defendant was in the process of committing a crime at that very moment.
“I don't even know why he would do that,” the judge pondered in amazement.
However it now appears that a clerical error meant Harris' license was not suspended and he was free to be driving.
New details in the case revealed that Harris had his license reinstated for over two years, but it never appeared on his file due to a clerical error.
Harris had originally lost his license in 2010, but a judge rescinded the suspension in January 2022.
The Michigan Secretary of State’s Office has now confirmed that they never received the clearance notice that he had paid some fees, so the suspension was never lifted in their admin.
It’s unclear why his public defender or the Pittsfield Township’s prosecutor’s office did not catch the error, however now the matter is being resolved.
After being jailed by Judge Simpson, Harris spent two days in custody after being asked to turn himself in. Whilst he's now been released, he's revealed he's worried the jail time and the viral video have tainted his reputation.
He told WXYZ-TV: "With the type of ties that I have with the church and the community, it’s very embarrassing."
In the video, Harris can be seen dialling in from his car as he revealed to the hearing that he was driving to take his wife to a much needed doctor's appointment.
Harris explained to the TV outlet: "What was I thinking? I was thinking about getting my wife medical help.
"That’s what I was thinking. I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I got a suspended license. I don’t care about all that."
Niamh Spence