Michigan man who drove during viral hearing had license reinstated in 2022, records show
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Court records show that a man who was ordered to turn himself in after a virtual court hearing — one which went viral after the man inadvertently appeared to reveal himself breaking the law for driving under a suspended license — was actually supposed to have a valid license.
Corey Harris, 44, joined his May 15 hearing in Washtenaw County through Zoom, for charges stemming from an earlier arrest in Pittsfield Township, near Ann Arbor.
Judge J. Cedric Simpson saw Harris was driving while attending the hearing, and asked "So maybe I don't understand something. This is a driving while license suspended (case) ... and he was just driving, and he didn't have a license?"
Simpson continued, saying "I don't even know why he would do that" before revoking Harris's bond and ordering him to turn himself in that same day.
Harris was released from custody two days later, but court records show that his license had already been reinstated in 2022. The change couldn't be seen in his file because of a clerical error.
CBS News Detroit has reached out for comment from the Michigan Secretary of State's office on the error.
Michigan does have a law on its books prohibiting the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving.
Discussing the story on "CBS Mornings," anchor Tony Dokoupil offered up his own perspective, sharing a mug shot of himself and saying, "The government does it for dumb reasons sometimes. I know from experience."
Earlier this year, Dokoupil shared the story of his arrest on Instagram, explaining "I was speeding to the airport and I got pulled over. That's when I learned my license had been suspended in New York — because of an unpaid red light camera fine that had been sent to an old address, something I never even knew I had incurred."
Dokoupil said he spent time in a Ramsey County, North Dakota jail in that incident.
