A Michigan judge was left shocked when a defendant with a suspended licence joined a Zoom court hearing while clearly behind the wheel.
Footage shows District Judge Cedric Simpson reacting with disbelief as Corey Harris joins the call with his seatbelt visible across his torso and his car in motion.
"Mr. Harris, are you driving?" Simpson asked the defendant.
“Actually, I'm pulling into my doctor's office,” Harris replies. “So just give me one second…I'm parking right now.”
Footage from the Zoom call shows the legal teams in court standing in shock, while those at the back of the room struggle to contain their laughter.
The judge, bewildered and bemused, then asked if Harris was stationary, to which he replied: "Just give me a second."
For your first offence, one instance of driving on a suspended licence in Michigan can lead to a $500 fine and up to 93 days in jail. A second offence could mean one year in jail and a $1000 fine.
In an attempt to reduce Harris's inevitable punishment, his public defender requested an adjournment for "possibly up to four weeks if the court would allow”.
But Simpson replied in astonishment: "Okay, so maybe I don't understand something. This is a driving while licence suspended [case], and he was just driving, and he didn't have a licence."
"That is correct, your honour," the public defender admitted in defeat.
"I don't even know why he would do that," the judge said.
"Defendant's bond is revoked in this matter," he declared. "The defendant is to turn himself into the Washtenaw County Jail by 6pm today."
"Oh my God," Harris replied, shocked that they would deliver a verdict that fast without hearing his side of the argument.
