WDET News
- Former Detroit Mayor Faces Probation Hearing
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Mar 11, 2010GeneralThe head of the criminal division of the Wayne County Circuit Court has ruled that there were no secret dealings involving prosecutors…in the probation violation case of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter has more…
Wayne County prosecutors accuse former Mayor Kilpatrick of violating his probation…by failing to meet a restitution payment deadline.
Kilpatrick’s attorneys countered by charging that the presiding judge…David Groner…should be disqualified from the case.
They charged he was biased against the former Mayor…and had colluded with prosecutors.
The chief judge of the criminal division ruled there was no evidence of bias on the part of Groner.
Yet a newly-hired spokesperson for Kilpatrick – Mike Paul – says the ruling is actually a victory for his client.“They now have to prove his ability to pay. And what we’ve been saying is that he is putting every dime he can towards this. It keeps him up at night. Anyone that thinks he doesn’t want to pay this is crazy. Because he wants this pressure and the stress off of him so he can move on with his life…with his family and with his wife.”
Kilpatrick faces a hearing to determine whether his probation will be revoked…and whether he might have to serve additional jail time…on March 24th.