Truemors
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sent to jail today after being found in violation of court orders.
A judge said he left the state of Michigan and went to Canada without notification to the court or to police officials.
He was specifically required to notify the court of any departure from the state of Michigan. He traveled recently to Canada without making the required notification.
The controversial Mayor is already in a heap of trouble for maintaining a long term sexual relationship with a government paid assistant on government time.
Above: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
The Mayor is also married.
He aslo sent his executive assistant thousands of sexually explicit text messages.
Here is the lastest from AP at 1343 Eastern:
The mayor, who is accused of lying under oath in a civil case and faces eight felony counts, made a trip across the Detroit river to Windsor, Ontario, on city business last month without informing the court in advance, leading the county prosecutor's office to request Kilpatrick be punished.
Only minutes earlier, the mayor offered an apology to the court, telling District Court Judge Ronald Giles that for seven months, "I've been living in an incredible state of pressure and scrutiny."
But Giles sent the mayor to jail anyway, telling him he would have given any defendant the same treatment.
"What matters to me though is how the court overall is perceived and how if it was not Kwame Kilpatrick sitting in that seat, if it was John Six-Pack sitting in that seat, what would I do? And that answer is simple," he said.
Circuit Court Judge Thomas E. Jackson said he wouldn't hear an appeal by Kilpatrick's lawyers until 9 a.m. Friday, meaning the mayor was to spend the night in jail.
The Detroit mayor's chief of staff, Kandia Milton — who was appointed deputy mayor six days ago — will run the city of 900,000 in Kilpatrick's absence, the mayor's office said in a statement.
Here is the Associated Press report on Today's news in Detroit:
A federal judge ordered Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to jail Thursday for violating the terms of his bond in his perjury case, a decision the judge said he would have made for any "John Six-Pack" defendant before him.
The mayor made an unauthorized trip to Canada last month, leading the county prosecutor's office to request Kilpatrick be punished and triggering the judge's ruling.
Only minutes earlier, the mayor offered an apology to the court, telling Giles that for seven months, "I've been living in an incredible state of pressure and scrutiny."
But Giles sent the mayor to jail anyway, telling him he would have given any defendant the same treatment.
"What matters to me though is how the court overall is perceived and how if it was not Kwame Kilpatrick sitting in that seat, if it was John Six-Pack sitting in that seat, what would I do? And that answer is simple," he said.
Kilpatrick's attorneys immediately headed across town to circuit court where they intended to ask a judge there to release their client on appeal.
"The judge did what he thought was right. We don't agree," said defense lawyer James Thomas
Earlier Thursday, Kilpatrick waived his right to a preliminary examination and will head to trial on perjury and other criminal charges that could land him in prison for up to 15 years.
Below is the Associated Press report by Ed White which he filed before this latest violation of court orders was revealed
Gov. Jennifer Granholm [Michigan], asked by the Detroit City Council to oust the mayor for misconduct, said Wednesday she would preside over a hearing if one goes ahead as scheduled Sept. 3.
"If we do have that hearing then it will be in the Detroit area," Granholm told reporters at the Capitol.
Her comments came as attorneys for the council and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick met a deadline to file legal briefs on the removal request.
"I don't know what the arguments are going to be on both sides, because I haven't seen them yet," Granholm said.
Michigan law allows a governor to remove an elected official for misconduct. In Kilpatrick's case, the council listed several reasons in May, including his handling of an $8.4 million settlement in a whistle-blowers' lawsuit.
"Council has identified and detailed a deliberate and malicious string of actions by the mayor ... all of which was in his personal and private interest and did not benefit the public interest," attorneys William Goodman and David Whitaker wrote in urging Granholm to hold a hearing.
Kilpatrick's attorney has attacked the removal request by saying the council needed at least six votes to proceed, not a simple majority. Sharon McPhail also has asked Granholm to delay any action.
In a legal brief, McPhail said the removal process would harm the mayor's ability to defend himself against criminal charges. Kilpatrick and former top aide, Christine Beatty, are charged with committing perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice in a civil trial last year.
Removing Kilpatrick "would result in a virtual avalanche of politically based requests" to bounce elected officials elsewhere, McPhail wrote.
In other developments tied to Kilpatrick's many legal problems:
-- The mayor and his defense attorneys plan to ask that his criminal case be moved straight to Wayne County Circuit Court and waive a preliminary exam set for Sept. 22. That's a hearing where a judge determines whether there's probable cause to hold a trial.
Mayer Morganroth, Beatty's attorney, said he will make the same request on behalf of his client. The issue will be discussed Thursday in 36th District Court.
Attorneys on both sides are arguing over whether the mayor's text messages can be used as evidence. Attorney James Parkman said going straight to circuit court will speed up the case.
"Thus far the preliminary process has been more about making a public spectacle and media headlines than the actual law," Kilpatrick spokesman Marcus Reese said. "There is no need to further participate in a process that has been about attempting to change public opinion and affect the jury pool."
-- Parkman said co-counsel Jim Thomas declined to provide information sought by the Michigan attorney general's office in a phone call Wednesday.
State authorities are investigating allegations that Kilpatrick physically interfered with a sheriff's detective who was trying to serve a subpoena to the mayor's friend last month.
Parkman said Thomas declined because they believe a charge against the mayor is a "done deal."
Matt Frendewey, a spokesman for Attorney General Mike Cox, declined to comment.
"Once you have information that you are a target or they're going to issue a warrant, there's nothing to do. That's plain first year law school," Parkman said. "If you asked us for the morning newspaper we wouldn't turn it over."
***
Stay with NowPublic for all the best in news and commentary.....
Comments (0)