Free Corey Harris! Re-Jailing Of Driver In Viral Suspended License Video Spotlights Legal System

Source: Zoom

There are social media-led calls to release from jail a Michigan man who went viral for driving to a virtual court date where a judge determined he had a suspended license in a ruling that first led to the driver seemingly being vindicated before he was placed back behind bars following a new revelation in the case.

Confused yet? Allow us to explain.

Corey Harris on Wednesday was remanded to jail, again, after Washtenaw County Judge Cedric Simpson announced that the driver never had a legal license to operate a motor vehicle in the state of Michigan to begin with.

Free #coreyharris!! https://t.co/93TISGddiM

— Nate (@NC_Nater) June 6, 2024

According to a new report from 7 News Detroit, Harris was back in court on Wednesday in an ongoing episode that first started last month when Judge Simpson couldn’t believe Harris had the audacity to show up on camera while driving. Simpson swiftly revoked Harris’ bond and ordered him to turn himself in to the Washtenaw County Jail by 6 p.m. that day.

Harris ended up staying jailed for two days.

literally free corey harris this the dumbest thing i seen somebody get locked up for

— jas (@jazzband12345) June 6, 2024

He spoke out about how “embarrassing” the viral incident was before it was reported that a lapse in the legal system kept his license suspension from being lifted years ago.

7 News Detroit previously reported:

Secretary of State records show Harris’ license was first suspended in 2010 for unpaid child support in Saginaw County.

Then in 2022, court records show that a judge rescinded that suspension, allowing Harris to drive again. But it appears that information never got to the Secretary of State where even as of Thursday afternoon, Harris’ license is still listed as suspended — the same records police and the judge were going by.

I’m not saying that Corey Harris should go unpunished – you cannot drive around without license – but in other civilized countries this would’ve been a case for community service or a fine.

The entire US justice system heavily relies on incarceration of minorities. https://t.co/C6w3JsYT8M

— Oliver Darko (@oliver_drk) June 6, 2024

Just as word on the social media streets quickly spread that Harris had been all but vindicated, a new court date on Wednesday quickly shut down all that speculation when Judge Simpson revealed that Harris “has never had a Michigan license, ever!”

Simpson said Harris knew he never had a driver’s license and tried to misrepresent the truth by claiming it was suspended. Instead, he had suspensions listed on his driving record, which is a big difference in Michigan.

Free Corey Harris pic.twitter.com/BbkAR9QMJ7

— CryptoConspiracyBro (@CryptoConBro) June 6, 2024

7 News Detroit explained further:

​​A spokesperson for the Secretary of State said they can confirm that Harris has never had a valid driver’s license now that the judge has made that information public.

In Michigan, a person can have suspensions on their driving record and also not have a valid driver’s license. And if that person was able to obtain a driver’s license, they would still not have the privilege of driving until they cleared their suspensions.

Harris’ suspensions were because he was delinquent in making child support payments.

free corey harris!

— drank man (@imgettingcooked) June 6, 2024

After making that revelation, Simpson immediately ordered Harris back to the Washtenaw County Jail, where he remained as of Thursday morning.

Harris reportedly knowingly never paid the fines to remove the suspensions from his driving record. Instead, he regularly renewed his state-issued identification card. But, to be sure, even if Harris had paid the fines, he still would never have had a driver’s license to legally operate a motor vehicle.

The drama is sparking calls to free Harris in part by drawing attention to a legal system that is quick to incarcerate people for nonviolent offenses.

Free Corey Harris.. They Out Here FW Normal People.. Go Lock Up The Real Criminals

— Paul Atreides (@icebliggity) June 6, 2024

Laws around driving without a license vary per state, but it appears that jail is generally a potential consequence of doing so around the country.

In response to Harris’ case, one person on X, formerly Twitter, asked: “Can we please stop putting people in jail for stuff like this and actually go after real criminals?”

Another noted: “Bro been working and hasn’t wrecked or has a ticket in 9 years?! Free my man immediately. He trying to work and stay safe. One of the good ones.”

“Our criminal justice system sucks. Go get them bad guys,” another posted.

The prevailing sentiment seemed to be that while it is clear that Corey Harris violated the law, his nonviolent crime shouldn’t require jailing and instead could be resolved in a way that does not involve incarceration or the criminal justice system.

This is America.

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