(WXYZ) — A Michigan man who had his license suspended appeared in virtual court while sitting in the driver's seat of a vehicle.
The man was being sentenced this week after pleading to no insurance and driving with a suspended license on March 8, but he was sitting in the driver's seat of a car during the hearing.
"I believe you drove wherever you are in the vehicle you’re in and you’re dumb enough to go on video with you sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. Makes me think you haven’t gotten the message," Judge Jeffrey Middleton said.
The prosecuting attorney asked the court to impose some sort of jail penalty and said the suspect was driving in a Ford Taurus with four adults and three children, one of the children not in a seatbelt, doing 75 mph on a country road.
The man told the judge he was sitting in his boss’ vehicle and that he didn’t drive there. He said he didn't want to appear in court while at someone's house. He said his boss picks him up and takes him to work.
The judge said he would take it on faith that he was in his boss' vehicle and not his own.
The judge asked him if he wanted to pay fines or go to jail.
"Do you want to pay your damn fine or do you want to go to jail? You have a history of not paying your fines here in St. Joseph County," the judge said.
The suspect then told the judge he takes care of two kids as a single father, and that he couldn't pay it.
The judge said "you don't get a single-dad deal" and put him on a payment plan for his fines.
This hearing happened in the same court where the same prosecuting attorney spotted an alleged assault suspectin the same home with the victim during a virtual court appearance.
