A Michigan driver who made headlines when he boldly appeared in the driver’s seat during a Zoom court hearing despite having his license suspended has finally been granted a provisional driver’s license.
Corey Harris, 44, passed his learner theory exam last week, finally taking a “step in the right direction” towards becoming a law-abiding citizen, his lawyer said. people.
Harris was photographed heading to the Michigan Secretary of State’s office, taking the test, and then celebrating with a little dance outside. Instagram Show.
“One day he had absolutely nothing, and today he has a driver’s license,” asserted his lawyer, Dionne Webster Cox. “One day doesn’t determine the rest of your life. One day can change things.”
Harris’ case has seen some surprising developments since his burst of notoriety when he suddenly appeared on screen while driving a car during a high-profile court hearing on May 15.
He had been stopped for a traffic violation in Pittsfield Township in October and was charged with driving with a suspended license.
“Mr. Harris, are you driving?” asked a surprised Washtenaw County Judge J. Cedric Simpson.
Harris casually confirmed that this was the case, replying, “I’m actually just pulling up to my doctor’s office right now.”
A surprised judge quickly revoked Harris’ bail and ordered him held in custody for two nights.
After a high-profile hearing and a brief incarceration, it was reported that Harris’ license, which had been suspended in 2010 for unpaid child support, was actually scheduled to be reinstated in 2022.
“Clerical error”Initially, he was blamed for the confusion.
But in a further development, the judge at a further hearing last week revealed that Harris had never in fact held a driver’s licence.
“The court found that he never had a Michigan driver’s license. Never,” Simpson said, adding that his office had reviewed all of his records. “And [he] He has never been licensed in the other 49 states and the Commonwealth that make up this great Commonwealth. He has never been licensed.”
The judge cleared up the confusion, saying Harris’ driver’s license had not actually been suspended during the initial traffic stop, but rather he was still entitled to drive in the state.
“So, for example, if he had a Kentucky license, he could have driven anywhere that Kentucky allows him to drive,” Simpson said during the hearing, “but his rights were limited so he couldn’t drive in Michigan.”
The judge noted that Harris first applied for a Michigan ID card on May 3, 1999, when he was 19 years old.
“You either have to have an ID or a license,” Simpson said, adding, “You can’t have both.”
“I know he doesn’t have a license because he makes sure to get a new ID every year and frankly, if he’d just said that in the beginning, this whole fuss could have been pushed aside.”
Harris’ lawyer stressed to the judge that her notorious client has already taken steps to rectify his ordeal, revealing he had booked his learner’s permit exam for last Friday.
Having passed the test, Harris will be able to take the road test as early as July 7th.
He is then scheduled to appear before a judge again on Aug. 7, where the misdemeanor could be reduced to a civil infraction, his attorney said.
