Michigan man Corey Harris, who became known for appearing at a Zoom hearing for driving while suspended, went to jail for a clerical error

US News

From Richard Pollina

The Michigan man who caused a stir last week by attending his virtual court hearing for his suspended license via Zoom while driving has been sent to jail for an apparent clerical error, according to a report.

Corey Harris, 44, attended his virtual hearing on May 15 on charges related to an October traffic stop in Pittsfield Township, Michigan. Washtenaw County Judge J. Cedric Simpson was speechless when he saw him driving during his Zoom call into the courtroom.

In the clip, the judge questioned Harris and his public defender about whether he was driving during his court appearance to reinstate his suspended driver’s license.

Harris casually admitted this, whereupon Simpson revoked his bail and ordered him to surrender at the Washtenaw County Jail by 6:00 p.m. that day.

The video of the hearing quickly spread online, bringing him a huge amount of unwanted attention, with many finding it hard to believe that he had the audacity to appear in court while driving.

However, new details in the case revealed that Harris had had his driver’s license renewed for over two years, but due to a clerical error, it never appeared in his record.

His driver’s license was revoked in 2010 by the Saginaw County Friend of the Court for unpaid child support, but a judge lifted the suspension in January 2022, WXYZ-TV reported.

However, the Michigan Secretary of State’s office confirmed Friday that it never received the release notice stating he had paid some fees, so the suspension was never lifted, according to the outlet that first spotted the typo.

Harris said he spent two days in jail after turning himself in following the hearing and now fears the incident could damage his reputation.

“Given the nature of my ties to the church and the community, this is very embarrassing,” Harris told WXYZ-TV.

In the viral video, Harris Simpson tells Simpson that he is driving to an appointment in the parking lot of a doctor’s office.

He told the outlet that the appointment was related to his wife’s deteriorating health and that this was his only concern at the time.

“What was I thinking? I was thinking about getting medical help for my wife,” Harris told the news station.

“That’s what I thought too. I didn’t think about the fact that my license was revoked. I don’t care about any of that.”

Harris said he has been in the Secretary of State’s office since he was made aware of the error and hopes it will be corrected.

“Always double check these employees because they say they’re going to do something and then they don’t do it,” he told the outlet.

It is unclear why his public defender or the Pittsfield Parish Attorney’s Office did not notice the error months ago.

Khyla Craine, deputy legal director for the Michigan Department of State’s Office, explained that regaining a driver’s license can be complicated.

“Sometimes it’s as simple as that: We in the Secretary of State’s office didn’t get approval from the court that everything was done, but something happened with the lines and we had to talk to the court to get approval and get things cleared up for the residents,” Craine told the outlet on Friday.