Jump to content

Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Let Off After Alcohol, Pot Found In Vehicle I

bobandtorey
 Share

Recommended Posts

bobandtorey Advanced Member

bobandtorey

Posted
Posted

DETROIT (WJBK) -

Detroit City Council president pro tem George Cushingberry Jr. was let off with only a ticket after an open alcoholic beverage container and marijuana were discovered inside his vehicle. 

The discovery was made when Cushingberry was pulled over in Detroit on January 7, 2014. An officer saw the open container and marijuana inside Cushingberry's vehicle. 

The officer wanted to arrest and charge Cushingberry, and the officer's supervisor came on scene. The supervisor then issued a ticket to Cushingberry for failure to signal and let him go. 

"A supervisor was contacted who responded to the scene. A decision was made that the council person would be cited and released. That did happen, there was no arrest," confirms Detroit Police Chief James Craig.  

The officer who made the discovery then reported the incident to the department. Chief James Craig has launched an internal investigation, with said supervisor at the focus of the investigation. 

Cushingberry shares his side of the story with Fox 2's Alexis Wiley:

"There was another man in the car with me by the name of Richard Clement, who is a Michigan medical marijuana patient. He had marijuana on his person. That's what the cops smelled. He told them up front that he was a medical marijuana patient. There was an empty bottle that was in the back of my car but it was an old bottle. And, so, when the supervisor came, he said, 'There's no open alcohol; there's nothing in this."

Sources also say Cushingberry tried to flea police and then flashed his City Council badge. 

To that, Cushingberry responds, "Why would a city councilman try to run away from a cop?" 

VIDEO: Click on the video player above to hear more from Cushingberry and Chief Craig in a report from Fox 2's Alexis Wiley

After the news broke Thursday night, someone posted to Cushingberry's Facebook page asking, "how is this one going to play out?"



Read more: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/24411380/detroit-city-council-president-pro-tem-let-go-after-alcohol-pot-found-in-vehicle#ixzz2q0dUvONB

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bobandtorey Advanced Member

bobandtorey

Posted
  • Author
Posted

(WJBK) -

Detroit City Council President Pro Tem George Cushingberry Jr. believes he was a victim of racial profiling when police pulled him over the night of January 7. During the traffic stop an open container of alcohol and marijuana were found inside the car. Cushingberry was ticketed for failing to use a turn signal and then released. 

He has since said an empty bottle of run was from an old party. He also admitted a strong smell of marijuana was present, but he attributes it to the second passenger in the vehicle who has a medical marijuana card. That passenger is Richard Clement, Cushingbery's unpaid assistant. 

Clement spoke with Fox 2's Alexis Wiley on Friday. Clement says he does, in fact, have a medical marijuana card and that he never leaves the home without carrying at least one joint. Wiley asked Clement if, Tuesday night, the marijuana was his and he responded with, "Of course."

"[The officer] looked at what I had, and he gave it back. And I really appreciate that, Detroit police," says Clement. 

VIDEO: Click on the video player above to hear more from Clement 

Meanwhile, Clement is working overtime posting updates to Cushingberry's Facebook page. 

Wiley asks Clement about a post, which was in response to allegations that Cushingbery and Clement may have been leaving a strip club when they were pulled over, that reads, "We never saw a tit Fox news is full of ___t." 

Clement, laughing, says, "You know what, yeah, I did. I did it. I did it. I'm responsible, I own it."

Wiley then asks, "Have you been posting all this stuff on this page? Why are you posting this stuff?"

Clement says, "Well, that's my job."

Clement is believed to have posted two other eyebrow-raising comments on Cushingberry's Facebook page. The first post told The Detroit News, in short, to "go to Hell." The second post was in response to a Facebook-user asking how this scandal would "play out." The Facebook account responded with "My assistant likes pot.. a lot."

Wiley, after talking with all the key players in the situation, joined Fox 2's Huel Perkins and Sherry Margolis to share her thoughts. She says, after talking with Clement, that Clement did not give the indication that he felt he and Cushingberry were racially profiled the night they were pulled over. 

VIDEO: Watch the video above to hear more from Alexis Wiley

Police Chief James Craig has addressed Cushingberry's concerns of racial profiling, saying one of the officers involved in the traffic stop was black. Craig has ordered an internal investigation of the actions of a police supervisor who released Cushingberry. The city's inspector general is also investigating Cushingberry's conduct during the traffic stop.

The Detroit City Council could possibly decide Cushingberry is no longer fit to be president pro tem, and could vote to remove him from the spot. Emergency manager Kevyn Orr could also take action and strip Cushingberry of his pay and revoke his power as a council member.



Read more: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/24420723/meet-richard-clement-the-2nd-passenger-in-cushingberrys-car-during-the-traffic-stop#ixzz2q2rbefd4

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bobandtorey Advanced Member

bobandtorey

Posted
  • Author
Posted

As of Dec. 31, 2013 a new state law puts limits on transporting medical marijuana. It can’t be in a passenger’s pocket, the console or any other place accessible to a driver, even if it belongs to someone with a state registry card that allows using medical marijuana.


Cushingberry told the Free Press that a police supervisor who arrived at the scene of the traffic stop on Tuesday saw an empty liqour bottle inside the car that the councilman acknowleged was his, and his friend’s medical marijuana card. “That’s why he let us go,” Cushingberry said.


But the new state law says that medical marijuana can be transported in a vehicle only when “enclosed in a case that is carried in the trunk of the vehicle” or “enclosed in a case that is inaccessible from the interior of the vehicle” if the vehicle lacks a trunk.


Detroit police have not received instructions about the new law for transporting medical marijuana, spokesman Sgt. Michael Woody said.


“I know (the passenger) had a legal and valid medical marijuana card. Once our officers saw that, we try to honor that,” Woody said. Thus, Cushingberry was not charged with illegal transport of medical cannabis, he said.


But other departments around the state are enforcing the new law, said Southfield defense attorney Michael Komorn, who specializes in marijuana criminal cases.


“I’ve already got a couple cases of people arrested in traffic stops by police trying to criminalize transporting the drug” in Livonia and Livingston County, Komorn said. The more than 140,000 Michiganders who possess medical marijuana cards should’ve been notified about the change in the law, “so they don’t get caught violating this,” he said.


Further complicating the Cushingberry case is the fact that Detroit is one of several Michigan cities that allow possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana on private property. Lawyers could argue that Cushingberry’s 1993 Buick constituted private property.


Link to comment
Share on other sites
pic book Advanced Member

pic book

Posted
Posted (edited)

you are right, 750.474 had immediate effect. the freep doesnt care about details.

 

http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-750-474

"History: Add. 2012, Act 460, Imd. Eff. Dec. 27, 2012"

 

an ealier version of that article had "as he road in the car". they cant even proofread.

notice the 'flea police' in the post below:

Edited by pic book
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ms Chocolate Advanced Member

Ms Chocolate

Posted
Posted

Bob, I believe that if race was not presented as an issue, this story would not developed the life it has. Cushingberry could have taken the ticket, and went along his way. But no! This councilperson said that he was profiled. He said that the police stopped him because he was Black. He also said that the police were too far away to see if he signaled his turn. Maybe it's just me, but how does eyes that can't see signals, see the skin color of a car that's in a position of impossible view? 

 

By going from news channel to news channel to hammer your view of the police view, you have caused all sorts of investigations. Was the supervisor wrong to like you go with just a failure to signal ticket? Should there have been a breath test? Per the 2012 law, should you and Richard have been sited for the improper transportation of marihuana? Is a car private property when it is being used on the public roads? With Richard showing his stash to the TV camera, will the 2012 law have to be re-visited. While on the sidewalks, was it necessary for him to have that stash in a trunk or somewhere where he could not easily get to it, and if so, would KY be a protected produce under the MMMA?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bobandtorey Advanced Member

bobandtorey

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I totally agree and you make some great points i remember a day i was at a C.C meeting and Mr. Beck was ask if it would be legal to use cannabis  in your car while parked  in Bell isle  park 

 

he said yes i wonder how it would be now that it's a State Park  

 

As far as  would KY be a protected produce under the MMMA? Are you saying  pass the Jelly ?  :lolu:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...