Corey Harris made headlines after being seen driving during a virtual court appearance when, in fact, he wasn’t even licensed to drive.
Video courtesy of Judge Cedric Simpson/Screenshot: NPR
Hide caption
Toggle caption
Video courtesy of Judge Cedric Simpson/Screenshot: NPR
A Michigan man who made headlines in May after being found guilty of driving illegally in online court didn’t actually have a driver’s license, adding a new twist to the bizarre story.
According to the Michigan Department of State, Corey Harris, 44, was arrested last month for driving on a suspended license, and a recording of the arrest went viral on social media.
“Ms. Harris, are you driving?” a visibly amused Judge Cedric Simpson asks Harris in the May 15 video.
“Actually, I’m on my way to the doctor’s office right now, so just hang on,” Harris confirmed.
The judge said in the video that the charge Harris was supposed to appear on was for driving on a suspended license, and he ordered Harris to report to the Washtenaw County Jail later that day.
Harris’s shocked face quickly spawned memes on social media, and an artist’s drawing of her face also went viral.
But since the incident made national headlines, the story has taken several developments. After Harris was arrested and detained for two days, it was reported that his license was actually supposed to have been reissued more than two years ago, and that the embarrassing incident was the result of a clerical error.
But that’s not the case, Angela Benander, public affairs director for the Michigan Department of State, told NPR.
“This is not a clerical error. It is a failure of conduct,” she said.
At a new hearing this week, Judge Simpson revealed that Harris did not in fact have a valid driver’s license, and Michigan Department of State records obtained by NPR show that this was the case.
In Harris’ case, it was a driver’s license. Benander explained that it was his conduct that was suspended, not his license.
Benander said when Harris was eligible to have those privileges restored and ultimately obtain a license, he didn’t take the proper steps to make that happen.
“Even if you don’t have a valid driver’s license, you can still have a Secretary of State driving record because typically when your driver’s license is suspended they create a record and list it as suspended,” Benander explained.
“In this case, there was a record, but it was a suspended license. That doesn’t mean he had a license. It turned out he didn’t have a valid driver’s license,” she said.
Harris was remanded in police custody after this week’s hearing and released on bail by his wife the same day, his lawyer Dionne Webster Cox said.
“He just wants to be a law-abiding citizen, that’s what he wants to be, but bless his heart,” Webster Cox said.
She said Harris is currently working on obtaining his driver’s license and her office is committed to helping him get properly registered so he can drive again.
“There’s something special about him, he’s lovably goofy,” Webster Cox said.
