A Michigan man who made headlines last week after appearing at an online court hearing via Zoom for driving while his license was suspended has been sent to jail due to an apparent clerical error, according to reports.
Corey Harris, 44, appeared for an online hearing on May 15 on charges related to an October traffic stop in Pittsfield Township, Michigan. Washtenaw County Judge J. Cedric Simpson was stunned to see Harris behind the wheel as he called into court via Zoom.
The video shows the judge grilling Harris and his public defender, asking whether he was driving a car while in court on a suspended driver’s license.
Harris casually admitted that he was, so Simpson revoked his bail and ordered him to report to the Washtenaw County Jail by 6 p.m. that day.
Video of the hearing quickly went viral and attracted a lot of unwanted attention online, with many expressing disbelief that someone could brazenly turn up in court while driving.
However, new details in the case have revealed that Harris had his license reinstated more than two years ago, but a clerical error meant that this was not noted on his file.
His driver’s license was suspended in 2010 for unpaid child support by a friend of the Saginaw County court, but a judge revoked the suspension in January 2022, WXYZ-TV report.
But the outlet, which first identified the clerical error, said the Michigan Secretary of State’s office confirmed on Friday that the suspension had not been lifted because he had not received a notice of authorization stating that he had paid some fees.
Harris said he turned himself in after the hearing and spent two days in jail, fearing the incident would damage his reputation.
“This is extremely embarrassing given the ties I have to the church and the community,” Harris told WXYZ-TV.
In the video, Harris tells Simpson he is pulling into a doctor’s office parking lot for an appointment.
He told media that his wife’s condition had worsened, leading to his consultation, and that this was his only concern at the time.
“What was I thinking? I was thinking about getting my wife medical help,” Harris told the news station.
“That’s what I was thinking. I didn’t think about my license being suspended. I’m not worried about that.”
Harris said since the error was brought to her attention, she has been to the Secretary of State’s office in hopes of getting the issue resolved.
“Always double check your back because these workers say they’ll do something but they never actually do anything,” he said. Exit.
It’s unclear why his public defender or the Pittsfield County Prosecutor’s Office didn’t notice the error months ago.
Deputy Attorney General for the Michigan Secretary of State, Kayla Klain, explained that getting a driver’s license reinstated can be complicated.
“Sometimes it’s simple, we at the Secretary of State’s office didn’t get permission from the court that everything was done, but something happened with the power lines and we had to talk to the court to get permission and clean it up for the residents,” Crane told the outlet on Friday.
