Judge flabbergasted after suspended driver joins court hearing while driving

A judge in Michigan was left flabbergasted after a man with a suspended driving licence attended his virtual court hearing while driving a car.

Zoom calls were popularised during the Covid-19 pandemic, but have led to a whole host of mishaps as people have been caught doing things they shouldn’t have been.

One man who will certainly wish he had been more careful is Michigan man Corey Harris, who attended a court hearing about his suspended driving licence while behind the wheel.

The whole saga began when the public defender for Harris announced to the courtroom that her client “should be present via Zoom” at the hearing in Ann Arbor, Michigan on 15 May.

However, when Harris joined the call, it was clear that he was in a moving vehicle and was holding the phone in one hand while driving with the other.

District Judge Cedric Simpson asked Harris if he was driving. Seemingly unaware that he was admitting to committing a crime, Harris responded: “Actually, I’m pulling into my doctor’s office, actually. So just give me one second. I’m parking right now.”

The lawyer for Harris requested an adjournment of up to four weeks, but Judge Simpson asked for clarification on some things.

“OK, 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.”

Harris’ lawyer confirmed the judge was correct, while Harris himself could be heard saying, “Ummm” as it appeared to dawn on him what he had done.

Judge Simpson continued: “I don’t even know why he would do that, so the defendant's bond is revoked in this matter.”

The judge stipulated that Harris was to turn himself in to the local county jail by 6pm that evening.

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