Flint rapper charged in murder-for-hire plot • Man charged in murder at BBQ • Abortion proposal nears approval
FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Rapper 'Cliff Mac', real name Clifton Terry III, calls himself the ‘King of Flint’. But he's not in Flint now. The Michigan rapper is in jail and charged with ordering a hit on a Sterling Heights woman in 2020.
Cliff Mac is accused of hiring Andre Sims to kill a Sterling Heights woman in 2020. According to the Department of Justice, Terry, 31, offered Sims $10,000 to travel from Grand Rapids to Flint for the murder. Sims arrived in Flint on Nov. 27, 2020.
The next day, authorities said Sims drove to the woman's home, waited for her to go to work, blocked in her car, and then shot at her.
The crime was caught on surveillance video and, despite firing 7 or 8 rounds, the hitman failed.
Sims was indicted in March on the murder-for-hire plot and is also serving a life sentence after shooting and killing a 65-year-old woman in Kent County.
Flint rapper Cliff Mac was indicted on murder-for-hire charges after officials said he hired a hitman to kill a suburban Detroit woman.
After the shooting, Sims drove to a nearby apartment complex where he abandoned his vehicle. Shortly thereafter, Terry picked Sims up from the apartment complex. Terry later agreed to pay Sims $2,500 for the failed hit. Authorities previously said that Sims received $300 from Terry.
As for Cliff Mac, the King of Flint was also charged in a separate murder case in Genesee County for his alleged role in an August 2021 murder case.
According to court documents, he took a flight from Detroit to Washington D.C. after the failed hit in Sterling Heights. In the process, he posted a picture on his Instagram account of himself and others who appear to be performing a celebratory toast.
Belle Isle giant slide reopens
Belle Isle's Giant Slide officially reopens Friday after an extended hiatus while officials made the ride safer. What's become the defining addition to the Southeast Michigan lexicon and a culturally significant moment for end-of-summer fun, the giant slide was closed over concerns of its speed. Videos of riders taking a bouncing journey down have dominated conversation all week.
The Department of Natural Resources believes it has resolved its speed issues and is prepared for the next weekend of sliders. The updated schedule when the slide will be open through Labor Day weekend.
It'll operate Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. over the next two weekends. The DNR also plans to reopen the slide in 2023 with extended hours of Wednesday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It costs a dollar to ride and sliders must be 4 feet tall.
After its closure, the DNR applied a wax to the slide and sprayed water to slow down the riding of the 40-foot tall structure. Before getting on the slide, it may be helpful watching a DNR official show you how to ride down the slide safely.
Here's how to properly go down the Belle Isle slide
Michigan abortion proposal cleared for final approval
Michigan's Bureau of Elections recommended Thursday that the state's election board give final approval to a potential ballot initiative seeking to enshrine abortion rights into the state's constitution.
The Bureau of Elections said in a staff report that after examining petition sheets and a random sample of signatures, state officials determined that the petition contains 596,379 valid signatures –- close to 150,000 more than was required.
The report came after the Reproductive Freedom for All campaign turned in 753,759 signatures last month, a record-breaking number of signatures for a ballot initiative in the state. The Reproductive Freedom for All ballot initiative would affirm into Michigan's Constitution the right to make pregnancy-related decisions without interference.
During a meeting next Wednesday, the state Board of Canvassers is expected to make a final determination on whether the proposed amendment will be on the November ballot.
– Courtesy of the Associated Press
Read about the status of abortion here.
Detroit man charged with murder and kidnapping after barbecue
A suspect accused of killing a man at a Detroit barbecue then barricading himself in a home with a kidnapped child after fleeing police is facing charges. Deveius Monta Weathers, 29, of Eastpointe, is accused of shooting and killing Ronnie Charles Ray II, 31, during an argument over barbecue chicken at a home in the 8230 block of Pierson Street just before 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Investigators found Weathers at a home in the 8490 block of Heyden Street the next day. According to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, police tried to stop Weathers after he backed out of the driveway, but he fled.
He sped to a home in the 8250 block of Pierson Street, where authorities say he barricaded himself with the 2-year-old kidnaped girl who is believed to be his daughter. After a five-hour-long standoff, authorities say Weathers came out holding the child in front of him.
Deveius Monta Weathers
Weathers was charged with first-degree murder, carrying a concealed weapon, third-degree fleeing and eluding, and felony firearm. He was remanded to the Wayne County Jail. He will be back in court again Sept. 8 for a probable cause conference.
Detroit man pointed pellet gun at driver on I-94, police say
A road rage incident on a Metro Detroit freeway led to the arrest of a Detroit man who later admitted to pointing a pellet gun at a driver. Michigan State Police recovered both the pellet pistol and a round of ammunition inside the suspect's vehicle after securing a search warrant.
The felonious assault happened on I-94 near I-75 around 3:15 p.m. Thursday when police got a complaint that included the full license plate of the suspect's car. State police said in a post on Twitter said officers conducted an investigation into the suspect's vehicle and tracked it to addresses in Wyandotte and Detroit.
When troopers contacted the owner, they determined the suspect driver was his son. They continued investigating and determined the suspect had been renovating a home off of Michigan and Livernois, which is where police located the individual. During an interview with police, the man admitted to the road rage and said he had pointed an air gun at the victim.
He was arrested while police secured a search warrant for investigating his home and car, later finding a .177 pellet pistol and one round of .223 ammunition. Police also determined the suspect was a convicted felon. A report will be sent to the prosecutor's office.
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Daily Forecast
Some rain Friday will be the only damper on sunny summer weather this weekend with conditions looking pleasant throughout the next few days. Some humidity is expected to return on Sunday.
What else we're watching
- Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein has done a lot in his career. The blind judge has rarely let his impairment keep him from accomplishing his goals - which can now include driving a car.
- The Detroit Police Department has been authorized to provide double-time for officers on special assignment in connection to gun violence cases. The enhanced overtime take effect Friday and is available to police working drag-racing, narcotic raids, and special operations.
- A 30-year-old resident of Romulus is expected to be arraigned on charges of vehicle theft after stealing a Madison Heights police truck that was later recovered in Detroit.
- California passed a sweeping new bill that outlaws the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035 in the state. It has big implications for Detroit where automakers are fast at work building up their electric vehicle infrastructure.
- Weekend commuters should be aware they won't be allowed to use southbound I-75 this weekend. Crews will be doing road repairs from Eight Mile to I-375 in Detroit. Here's the construction alert
Redacted affidavit in Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate search to be released
The Justice Department is set to release Friday a heavily blacked-out document explaining the justification for an FBI search of former President Donald Trump's Florida estate earlier this month, when agents removed top secret government records and other classified documents.
The document, expected by noon, is likely to offer at least some new details about an ongoing criminal investigation that has brought fresh legal peril for Trump just as he lays the groundwork for another presidential run. Though Justice Department officials are expected to have removed sensitive details about witnesses, and the scope and direction of the probe, the affidavit may offer the fullest explanation yet about the events leading up to the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago.