michigan man A judge on Wednesday said that a man who went viral for driving with an allegedly suspended driving licence while attending a virtual court hearing did not have a licence to begin with, adding a new twist to the tale that has been met with laughter and surprise at every turn.
Corey Harris took the internet by storm last week when a video of a Zoom hearing about his suspended license went viral on May 15. The footage shows Harris driving away, shocking Judge Cedric Simpson who revoked his bail and ordered him to surrender to authorities at a local jail.
Over the next few days, the legal action spread like wildfire online. In an interview with WXYZ-TV last week, Harris said he had the legal right to drive and that he had made a mistake.
During Wednesday’s hearing, at which Harris was present in the courtroom, Simpson said Harris never had a driver’s license. Fox Detroit The Michigan Department of State told Fox News Digital that Harris was never issued a state driver’s license.
Corey Harris stands in a Michigan courtroom in Ann Arbor on Wednesday for a hearing regarding his right to drive. (WJBK)
“He’s never had a license. Never. And he’s never had a license in any of the other 49 states or commonwealths in this country,” Simpson said, then added that Harris’ driving privileges are suspended, not his license.
“When they suspended his license … they didn’t suspend the license, they suspended his privileges to drive in the state,” he said. “So, if he had a Kentucky license, he would be allowed to drive anywhere in Kentucky, but he couldn’t drive in Michigan because his privileges were restricted. He never had a license. Never.”
In his TV interview, Harris said there had been a clerical error that stated his driver’s license was suspended because of issues with child support payments. The news outlet reported that the Michigan Secretary of State’s office, which handles drivers’ licenses, never received notification from Saginaw Friend of the Court that the case had been resolved.
Harris, who said nothing, failed to take steps to get his driving privileges back, Simpson said.
“I know this because, Mr. Harris, on December 28, 2023 — do you know where you were?” Judge asked him. “You were at the Secretary of State’s office. You were at the Secretary of State’s office because you had re-registered and you had gotten your new Michigan ID,” Simpson said.
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Judge Cedric Simpson and Corey Harris were seen at a court hearing on Wednesday, where it was revealed Harris never had a driver’s license. (WJBK)
“I know he’s never had a license because on May 3, 1999 — he was 19 years old — he applied for his first Michigan ID,” Simpson said. “He routinely gets a new ID every year. So he knows he doesn’t have a license.”
In Michigan, you cannot have both a driver’s license and a state ID. Prosecutors said Wednesday that Harris was injured in a single-vehicle accident in October 2023 and told officers he did not have a driver’s license.
Harris’s attorney, Dionne E. Webster-Cox, told Simpson she wanted to take steps to make things right. She also said Harris was not responsible for the “commotion” surrounding her case.
“My client did not start this ruckus. He may have made some comments, but he did not start the ruckus,” he said.
Simpson responded by saying that Harris’s comments during the TV interview did not help him.
“One thing I don’t like is people don’t take responsibility for what they’ve done,” Simpson said. “The person who should be blamed is the person he was looking at in the mirror.”
“Just embrace it!” he said. “Once you embrace it, it’s a lot easier to move on.”
Webster-Cox said her client is working to secure his license and has paid the reinstatement fee. He also has a permit test scheduled this week.
Defense attorney Corey Harris and Judge Cedric Simpson are seen during a virtual Michigan court hearing. Harris’s driver’s license was suspended in 2022, but it could never be erased from the system due to a clerical error. (Storyful)
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“I just wish he had a license,” the judge said.
Harris still had a warrant out for driving with illegal alcohol. License suspended and he was taken into police custody. Simpson gave him a nominal bond so he could be released. After the hearing, Webster Cox said he did not know Harris did not have a driver’s license.
“I can’t get inside his head and see what he was thinking. All I can tell you is I was focused on what he was going to do to get his license and I was right there when he was going to get it. I didn’t do any research to go back. I didn’t go back to 1999 to learn about the Michigan state ID. It was all shocking to me. Absolutely shocking,” she said.
