A Michigan man who became known for driving without a license never had one: NPR

Corey Harris made headlines for driving his car during a virtual court hearing. As it turns out, he was never licensed to drive a car.

Video courtesy of the Honorable Judge Cedric Simpson/Screenshot from NPR

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Video courtesy of the Honorable Judge Cedric Simpson/Screenshot from NPR

A Michigan man who made headlines by driving illegally during a virtual court hearing in May never had a driver’s license, putting a new twist on the bizarre story.

According to the Michigan Department of State’s Office, 44-year-old Corey Harris was arrested last month for driving without a license. The recorded scene quickly spread on social media.

“Mr. Harris, are you driving?” a visibly amused Judge Cedric Simpson asks Harris in the May 15 video.

“Actually, I’m driving to my doctor’s office right now, so just give me a second,” Harris confirms.

The judge says in the video that the charge Harris was facing was driving while suspended, and then orders Harris to turn himself in to the Washtenaw County Jail that same day.

Harris’ stunned face quickly sparked memes on social media and artistic depictions of him went viral.

But since the incident made national headlines, the story has taken several twists and turns. After Harris’ arrest and two-day jail sentence, it was reported that his license was supposed to be reinstated more than two years ago and that a clerical error was responsible for the embarrassing incident.

But that’s not the case, Angela Benander, communications director for the Michigan Department of State, told NPR.

“This is not a typo. This is an oversight,” she said.

In a new hearing this week, Judge Simpson makes clear that Harris never had a valid driver’s license. And Michigan State Department records obtained by NPR confirm this.

In Harris’ case, it was his driving licences which were revoked, not his driving license, explained Benander.

When he had the opportunity to regain those privileges and eventually obtain a license, Harris said he did not take the proper steps to make it happen, according to Benander.

“You can have a record on the State Department’s driver’s license registry without ever having held an official driver’s license. And that’s usually because when your license is revoked, we create a record and then list it as revoked,” Benander explained.

“So in this case, there was a record; it was a suspended status. That doesn’t mean he had a driver’s license, because as it turns out, he never had a valid driver’s license,” she said.

Harris was taken into police custody again after the hearing this week and released on bail by his wife the same day, said his lawyer Dionne Webster-Cox.

“He just wants to be a law-abiding citizen. That’s what he wants to be. But God bless him,” Webster-Cox said.

She said Harris is currently working on getting his driver’s license and her office is committed to helping him regain proper driving privileges.

“He just has that special something. He’s such a lovable goofball,” Webster-Cox said.