DChapman
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Joined: 27 Nov 2004
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Location: Hudson Valley, NY
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 Posted: Thu 07 Aug 2008 16:03 Post subject: Detroit Mayor Jailed!!! |
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| Quote: | BREAKING NEWS: Judge Sends Detroit Mayor To Jail
Judge Revokes Bond, Suspends Travel
POSTED: 10:09 am EDT August 7, 2008
UPDATED: 11:48 am EDT August 7, 2008
DETROIT -- Judge Ronald Giles sent Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to Wayne County Jail for failing to notify the court of his trip to Canada and violating the terms of his bond.
Despite Kilpatrick's humble apologies to the court beforehand, Giles said he needed to treat Kilpatrick as an ordinary citizen and sent him immediately to jail.
Giles revoked Kilpatrick's bond and suspended all travel.
"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 said they immediately will appeal the ruling.
"The judge did what he thought was right. We don't agree," said defense lawyer James Thomas
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Before Giles made his decision, Kilpatrick addressed the court and apologized for violating his bond conditions when he went across the border last month to push the sale of the city's half of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
"Your Honor, I am asking for your forgiveness. It will never happen again," he said.
He told Giles that he violated his bond to save the city and close a $300 million deficit facing the city.
Kilpatrick continued to praise Giles and the court.
"I respect the heck out of you for taking this case under all this scrutiny," he said humbly. "I apologize. This was not at all a front to you or the court. I don't believe there is a person who has ever been through this process that respects it more than I do."
Kilpatrick also said he has been under intense pressure to continue to run the city and bear the burden and media parade of the trial.
"My life has been revolutionarily transformed and it's transforming in front of the eye of these media people who don't know me at all," he said, referring to what he called intense scrutiny. "Your honor, I ask for your forgiveness...it will never happen again."
Thomas acknowledged the mayor violated the terms of his bond, but said it was an emergency.
The judge asked. "Who was sick? Who was dying?"
"The city of Detroit was sick," Thomas said referring to the $75 million deal the mayor said would help balance Detroit's budget.
A Windsor Star photographer snapped pictures of Kilpatrick in Windsor two weeks ago, the day he allegedly assaulted a Detroit police officer.
Kilpatrick said he had an emergency meeting with Windsor officials after the Detroit City Council voted against the tunnel deal, which would sell Detroit's half of the international border to erase a $65 million budget deficit and avert layoffs of city employees.
At the time Kilpatrick's bond terms stated he can leave the state, but he must give the court a sealed envelope with his travel plans at least 48 hours before the trip.
After Kilpatrick's apology, Wayne County Prosecutor Robert Moran denied the Mayor's sincerity and said he was only taking responsibility because he got caught.
"He thought he got away with it," Moran said.
Moran continued to say that he felt the mayor has not taken the entire process seriously.
Judge Giles seemed unmoved by the Mayor's apology and ordered him to jail at least for the night.
Giles recognized Kilpatrick's mayoral duties are important, but said his relationship with the court should be his first priority.
An appeal is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Friday.
Deputy Mayor Kandia Milton will act as Mayor until November while Kilpatrick is incarcerated. |
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