Mich. Man Went Viral for Attending Virtual Suspended License Court Appearance in Car. Now He Can Legally Drive
Corey Harris – a Michigan man who had never actually had a license to suspend in the first place – now has a license, his lawyer confirms to PEOPLE
Dionne Webster-Cox
Corey Harris in June 2024, after receiving his driver's permit.First he went viral in May for attending a virtual court appearance for a suspended license while behind the wheel, then it turned out the Michigan man never even had a license to suspend to begin with. In June, PEOPLE reported that Corey Harris danced his way out of his driver’s test, securing himself a permit that finally made him legal on the road.
And now, Harris is a fully licensed driver, his lawyer, Dionne Webster-Cox, confirms to PEOPLE. His brand new license was issued on July 8, 2024.
“In the face of public ridicule, Mr. Harris did not become discouraged,” Webster-Cox tells PEOPLE. “He stayed the course and finished the race. He is a law abiding citizen, and he does have a driver’s license.”
He is due in court Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 3 p.m. for the suspended license case, according to his lawyer. By securing a license between court hearings, the misdemeanor charge could be downgraded to a civil infraction, according to Webster-Cox.
Honorable Judge Cedric Simpson via Storyful
Judge J. Cedric Simpson (left) sent Corey Harris (right) to jail on May 15, 2024, when Harris attended his virtual court appearance for driving with a suspended license from behind the wheel of a moving car.Although Harris never had a license, his driving privileges had been suspended since 2007, Angela Benander of Michigan’s Secretary of State previously confirmed to PEOPLE. Webster-Cox said that the automatic suspension was the result of failing to pay child support.
In October 2023, a police officer in an Ann Arbor suburb pulled over Harris because the car he was driving had an expired license plate, according to Webster-Cox.
When the officer asked to see his license, Harris could not provide one, but because of the earlier paperwork noting his license suspension, he was charged with driving while license suspended, a misdemeanor in Michigan.
(The above video was created following the May 15 hearing. Since that time, more facts related to Corey Harris' case have become known.)
Related: Man Who Went Viral for Virtual Court Appearance in Car for Suspended License Never Actually Had One
Harris tuned into that May 15 virtual hearing from the driver’s seat.
“Mr. Harris, are you driving?” Judge J. Cedric Simpson asked in the videotaped hearing.
"Actually, I’m pulling into my doctor’s office," Harris said, seemingly oblivious to the judge’s consternation. “So, just give me one second. I’m parking right now.”
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Throwing his pen in visible frustration, the judge rested his head in his hand, while Harris parked. Simpson ordered him to turn himself into Washtenaw County Jail by 6 p.m.
Harris’s mouth dropped in surprise: “Oh my God.”
Webster-Cox previously told PEOPLE that Harris had been confused, believing that he had a license since it was now suspended and that he had spent the weeks following his viral surprise (and subsequent embarrassment) “doing the very best with this situation, to make everything right.”
Getting his license was yet another step in the right direction in a story she has said carries a lesson for all of us: “Don’t give up.”
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