Corey Harris, a Michigan man who went viral for attending virtual court while on the road, has taken the first step to legalize his driving by obtaining a learner’s permit on June 7.
Harris, who has been driving despite never having a license, made headlines last month when he appeared behind the wheel during a virtual court hearing for driving with a suspended license. It was later revealed that Harris had never had a license to suspend in the first place.
In a video captured outside the Michigan Secretary of State’s office, Harris is seen celebrating with a smile and a dance. “Congratulations! You did it!” a woman is heard saying in the video. His lawyer, Dionne Webster-Cox, remarked, “It’s a step in the right direction. One day he has absolutely nothing, and today he has his learner’s permit.”
Harris’s driving privileges had been suspended since 2007 due to unpaid child support, which automatically suspended his eligibility to obtain a license. Last October, he was stopped by police for driving with an expired license plate in an Ann Arbor suburb. When asked for his license, Harris couldn’t provide one because he never had one, leading to the assumption that his license was suspended.
Judge J. Cedric Simpson, who presided over Harris’s May 15 hearing, was shocked to see Harris driving during the virtual court session. “Mr. Harris, are you driving?” the judge asked. Harris replied that he was parking at his doctor’s office. The judge, visibly frustrated, ordered Harris to turn himself into Washtenaw County Jail by 6 p.m. that day.
Harris believed he had a license because it had been suspended, a misunderstanding clarified by his lawyer, Webster-Cox. She praised Harris’s resilience and noted that his story is a lesson in perseverance: “Don’t give up. This is going to be a feel-good story.”
Harris is set to take his road test on July 7, and his next court appearance is scheduled for August 7. If he obtains his driver’s license, his misdemeanor charge may be downgraded to a civil infraction.
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