Man virtually attends hearing for driver’s license suspension while driving

A clip of a rather strange court case is going viral this week. Michigan residents Corey Harris attended a court hearing regarding his suspended driver’s license via Zoom. The problem? He was clearly driving during the call!

The clip is from a live-streamed court hearing on May 15. The video shows a deputy public defender, the judge J Cedric Simpsonknows her client “should be present via Zoom.” Shortly thereafter, Harris appears and the interior of his car and a seatbelt across his chest can be clearly seen. While the visual evidence is incriminating, the shocked judge asks, “Mr. Harris, are you driving?”

“Actually, I’m driving to my doctor’s office right now, so please give me a moment,” the defendant replied. Judge Simpson cannot process what just happened, shakes his head and throws his pen out of the camera’s field of view.

After a few seconds, the judge asks if he “stopped.” “I’m driving in right now,” Harris says in a tone that’s almost annoyed.

“Perhaps I am not understanding something,” Judge Simpson asks Harris’s lawyer. “This is about a driver whose license has been suspended.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” she replies.

“He was just driving and didn’t have a license,” Simpson says. And while he was doing that, he looked at Harris’ file to confirm that he did, in fact, NOT have a license.

During this exchange, Harris realizes that he has made a terrible mistake and his mouth drops open.

“I don’t even know why he would do that,” Simpson says, shaking his head in disbelief.

The (not so) shocking verdict

The judge told the courtroom that Harris would turn himself in at the county jail that evening. “Oh my God,” Harris whispered as the consequences of his actions hit him like a slap in the face.

Reaction memes are already being created online, both about the judge’s stunned reaction and about Harris’ speechless shock at his mistake.