One Michigan man became famous last week when he logged into a Zoom court hearing over charges related to him driving with a suspended license while driving a car.
The viral clip of the Judge’s total astonishment at the apparent stupidity of the entire ordeal caused many to label him as the World’s Dumbest Criminal.
But now the Michigan man who went viral for driving with a suspended license just revealed the shocking truth about his case.
The internet went wild last week over a video in which 44-year-old Michigander Corey Harris appeared for a May 15 court hearing via Zoom.
Harris was scheduled to appear in court that day for a hearing over charges stemming from his prior arrest for driving with a suspended license.
But when Harris logged into the Zoom session, the Judge presiding over his case was visibly flabbergasted to see that he was taking part in the virtual hearing over his suspended license charges while driving a car.
“Mr. Harris, are you driving?” a stunned Judge Cedric Simpson asked Harris.
“Actually, I’m pulling into my doctor’s office, actually,” Harris replied to the Judge matter of factly. “Just give me one second, I’m parking right now.”
The Judge then asked Harris, “Are you stationary?”
“Yes, I am,” Harris replied.
“So maybe I don’t understand something, but this is driving with a suspended license?” the Judge said of the charges the hearing was meant to address.
“That is correct, your honor,” Harris’ attorney replied.
“And he was just driving, and he didn’t have a license,” Judge Simpson noted.
Simpson revoked Harris’ bond and instructed him to turn himself into the local jail by 6 P.M. or else the Judge would issue a warrant without bond.
In the eyes of many social media users, the viral video earned Harris the title of World’s Dumbest Criminal.
NEW: Man with a suspended license joins court Zoom call while driving in his car.
This is the funniest video I’ve seen in a long time.
Judge Cedric Simpson can be seen dumbfounded after defendant Corey Harris dialed into the meeting from his car.
Simpson: “Mr. Harris, are… pic.twitter.com/ydOKIMD7Ie
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 29, 2024
But Harris does not deserve that title after all.
And he certainly did not deserve the two days he spent in jail.
In fact, he was outright framed in yet another example of America’s broken justice system.
As Harris was ultimately able to point out, a Judge had previously rescinded the suspension of his license in January 2022 after it was instituted in 2010 for unpaid child support.
But the Saginaw friend of the court dropped the ball and never notified the Michigan Secretary of State’s office of his clearance.
“They were supposed to have been lifted it two years ago, but they didn’t,” Harris explained once he finally got his day in court.
Harris said the ordeal was embarrassing, and he was concerned that it would harm his reputation in his community.
“With the type of ties that I have with the church and the community, it’s very embarrassing,” Harris said.
When a reporter asked what he was thinking, he explained that he was pulling into the doctor’s office parking lot for his wife’s appointment.
“What was I thinking? I was thinking about getting my wife medical help. That’s what I was thinking,” Harris said. “I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I got a suspended license. I don’t care about all that.”
He warned others to “always double-check behind these workers because they will say that they will do something and they don’t do it.”
The video was viewed more than 20 million times on X alone.
This is yet another failure of the American justice system and one that could haunt Corey Harris for the rest of his life.
