Detroit mayor jailed for bond violation

The mayor had gone to Windsor, Ontario, without permission.

DETROIT (AP) — Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was jailed Thursday for a bond violation in his perjury case, his pleas for leniency rejected by a judge who made it clear the mayor would get no special treatment.

Kilpatrick, charged with perjury and other felonies over his testimony in a civil trial, apologized and acknowledged that he made a mistake when he visited Windsor, Ontario, minutes away from Detroit, for city business last month. But District Judge Ronald Giles was not moved, saying he needed to treat the mayor like any other defendant.

“What matters to me ... 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,” Giles said.

It was a stunning outcome, exceeding even what prosecutors had sought. And it came two days after Kilpatrick’s mother, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, survived a Democratic primary election that was dominated by her son’s legal woes.

Kilpatrick was photographed Thursday and given a green jumpsuit like ones worn by other inmates. He will be treated like any other prisoner, “no better, no worse,” Sheriff Warren Evans said.

But there are a few differences because Kilpatrick is classified as high-profile.

“He will not be in the general population. He’ll have his own cell [and] no direct contact with other inmates,” said John Roach, a spokesman for the sheriff.

Kilpatrick and former top aide Christine Beatty are charged with perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice, all tied to their testimony in a civil trial last year. At the heart of the case: steamy text messages contradicting their claim that they didn’t have a romantic relationship.

Kilpatrick and Beatty waived their right Thursday to a preliminary exam next month. That means their case now goes directly to Wayne County Circuit Court.

At the end of the morning proceedings, prosecutor Robert Moran talked about the mayor’s trip to Canada and asked Giles to ban Kilpatrick from any additional out-of-state travel. He called it a flagrant violation that could have been avoided by a simple phone call.

“It’s not serious to him that he’s a criminal defendant. ... This court should be outraged,” Moran told the judge.

Kilpatrick apologized and said, “I’ve been living in an incredible state of pressure and scrutiny” for seven months — a reference to the public disclosure of the text messages.

The mayor had paid $7,500 — 10 percent of his bond in the perjury case — to remain free, along with other conditions, including notifying the court about leaving the state on city business.

He said he dashed to Windsor to discuss the sale of Detroit’s share of a tunnel between the U.S. and Canada, a deal proposed as a way to fill a hole in the city’s budget.

“We got the deal back on track. ... It wasn’t a spur of the moment, willy-nilly, I can frolic in Canada” trip, Kilpatrick said.

Told he must go to jail, Kilpatrick stood up and, accompanied by a courtroom deputy, walked through a doorway behind Giles’ chair. He was not handcuffed.

“I think it’s the most extreme measure he can take,” defense attorney Jim Thomas told The Associated Press as he dashed a few blocks to circuit court to try to overturn Giles’ ruling.