Charles Pugh to be released from prison, U.S. investigating Tesla over video games, update on Genesee shooting
WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - Five and a half years ago Charles Pugh - a former Detroit City Council president and former FOX 2 anchor, pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy. On Wednesday he’ll be released from prison in Ionia.
The release of Charles Pugh comes with some conditions. He’ll be on probation for two years, wear a tether for six months and will be on the sex offender registry forever.
Former Detroit radio legend Reggie Reg Davis has known Pugh since high school and has another distinction when it comes to his friend - saying he was the only person to visit him the last five-plus years.
Davis says during his visits he noticed a change in Pugh for the better. The two made plans for the future, including launching an online network on the internet.
"Charles will do a tell-all," Davis said. "That's the way you guys can capture everything he experienced in those five and a half years."
The online venture is expected to launch sometime around February, Davis said. In addition to launching a new network, Pugh is also reportedly working on a book, he added.
"Charles had a very promising career in broadcast, television, radio, politics, but then to learn that he used his position to exploit youth, young people, is very unfortunate," said Karen Dumas, a communications consultant.
Dumas served as the chief of communications for Detroit while Pugh served on the council and says while she respects the court’s decision, she puts his crime in a different category.
"I can only hope that in addition to incarceration he received some kind of counseling," she said. "It’s an illness to be sexually attracted to a child of any gender."
Davis says that he and Pugh hopes to help others in Detroit through his experiences.
"We need to come together and stand strong with our families."
Some are leery that Pugh will be able to earn back the trust he may have lost in Detroit.
"Pedophilia is a very serious crime to me - morally, legally," Dumas said. "I’m not sure there is redemption. Certainly, he has an opportunity and a right to live the rest of his life."
Dumas says the lesson to learn from Charles Pugh is for those who witness the abuse of a child, to speak up.
"We always talk about protecting our young people," she said. "It goes beyond putting up metal detectors and those things. This is part of protecting our young people too."
Davis says Pugh should be considered a man who has paid his debt.
‘Inconsistencies’ in victim's statement after I-75 shooting
A portion of I-75 was closed Wednesday morning after a shooting that injured one. Michigan State Police shut down northbound I-75 at Clay near downtown Detroit for an investigation to search for evidence including bullet casings. It's since been reopened.
According to police, a driver was leaving work from the Greektown Casino when a vehicle pulled up alongside him and someone inside fired several rounds into the side of the vehicle. The victim pulled to the shoulder to check on his vehicle, then drove home to call 911.
The victim had sustained a gunshot wound to his hip and arm. Detroit emergency services provided medical treatment on scene. He refused transport to a hospital. According to police, no evidence was located on the freeway. Police also said there were inconsistencies in the victim's statements.
The victim said the suspect vehicle was a white SUV. The freeway reopened around 6:23 a.m.
U.S. investigating Tesla allowing drivers to play video games
The U.S. has opened a formal investigation into Tesla allowing drivers to play video games on a center touch screen while its vehicles are moving. The probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers about 580,000 electric cars and SUVs from model years 2017 through 2022.
It comes after the agency received a complaint that Teslas equipped with "gameplay functionality" allow gaming to be enabled on the screens while vehicles are being driven. In a document posted Wednesday on its website, the agency says the feature called "Passenger Play" may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash.
The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation said in the document that the game capability has been available since December of 2020. Before that date, the games could only be played while the Teslas were in park.
The probe, which covers all four Tesla models, the S, X, Y and 3, was opened "to evaluate the driver distraction potential of Tesla ‘Passenger Play’ while the vehicle is being driven." Investigators "will evaluate aspects of the feature, including the frequency and use scenarios of Tesla "Passenger Play." An investigation can lead to a recall. A message was left early Wednesday seeking comment from Tesla, which has disbanded its media relations department.
2 officers wounded in shootout in Genesee County
Officers from two law enforcement agencies were injured in a shootout that left a suspect dead in Genesee County Tuesday afternoon. Both a sheriff's deputy and officer with the Buron Police Department are expected to recover following the shooting.
Deputy Brandon Fachting, a 21-year-old with a wife and two kids, was listed in critical condition before he stabilized. Officer Dalton Christie is in fair condition.
Officers injured in Genesee County shooting in stable condition
Two officers, one a sheriff's deputy and the other an officer with the Burton police force, are in stable condition following an exchange of gunfire with a suspect Tuesday afternoon. The deputy was in critical condition before being listed as stable.
Both the deputy and officer have less than three years combined on their respective forces and responded like veterans, said Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. It all happened in the city of Burton as police were responding to reports of person with a gun at 1:56 p.m. Tuesday. Swanson says Deputy Fachting and Officer Christie spotted the man. A foot chase ensued and then gunfire.
The backup officers secured the scene, and those two officers were transported in backup patrol cars to Hurley Medical Center - which Swanson praised for helping save their lives - notably Fachting who was critically wounded.
Bedrock adds to Detroit Riverfront owned properties
Dan Gilbert-owned Bedrock has purchased another 18 acres of land along the Detroit Riverfront following its acquisition of the former UAW-General Motors training Center.
Dubbed "The Icon," the multi-purpose property is the latest addition to the real estate firm's downtown portfolio. "The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and other stakeholders have spent years curating an iconic, memorable, world class public amenity. Bedrock can build on this legacy to provide a more robust environment with improved sustainable infrastructure, parks and mixed-use developments, fueled by people occupying mixed income housing, retail, entertainment and office spaces," said Kofi Bonner, CEO of Bedrock.
Located at 200 Walker Street, the acquisition includes an 8-story office tower and 2-story auditorium in the west building, a 3-story training center with warehousing space at the center building, and a 1-story partial messaline in the east building.
One of the most visible properties on the riverfront, it was originally purchased by a joint venture to become the campus of a major company. It's not clear what Bedrock plans to do with the property. It was purchased for an undisclosed amount.
What else we're watching
- AAA is advertising its Tow to Go program in select states like Michigan as a last-ditch effort to keep impaired drivers off the road. The service, offered from Dec. 24 to Jan. 3, is free. Although, the firm asks people treat its program as a back-up.
- Attorney General Dana Nessel will be at the Michigan Humane Society Wednesday morning to check in with staff and reiterate the important practices that come with owning a pet.
- Hopes for a white Christmas were dashed pretty early this week, and it looks like those predictions won't change. In fact, temperatures could climb as high as 50 on Christmas Eve, and greet holiday goers with some rain as well.
- The Detroit Association of Black Organizations is hosting its annual holiday giveaway, offering to entertain and serve 500 families with free bicycles, toys, and clothing.
- Some 4.6 million Americans gained health insurance this year, due to increased access through Healthcare.gov, a release from President Joe Biden said.
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Daily Forecast
The coldest day of the week won't get warmer than 27 degrees as a brief cold front is expected to freeze most of Metro Detroit on Wednesday. Wind chill will keep things even cooler. There's some potential for a few flurries as well, but those are not expected to measure up.
Nearly $100B in COVID-19 relief funds stolen, Secret Service says
Nearly $100 billion at minimum has been stolen from COVID-19 relief programs set up to help businesses and people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, the U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday.
The estimate is based on Secret Service cases and data from the Labor Department and the Small Business Administration, said Roy Dotson, the agency’s national pandemic fraud recovery coordinator, in an interview. The Secret Service didn’t include COVID-19 fraud cases prosecuted by the Justice Department.
While roughly 3% of the $3.4 trillion dispersed, the amount stolen from pandemic benefits programs shows "the sheer size of the pot is enticing to the criminals," Dotson said.
Most of that figure comes from unemployment fraud. The Labor Department reported about $87 billion in unemployment benefits could have been paid improperly, with a significant portion attributable to fraud.