Metro Detroit digging out of snow storm, Crumbley parents asked to cut court room talk, woman left for dead

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - Most of the snow has fallen but with a lot still blanketing the roadways in Metro Detroit, drivers will still need to be alert as they wade through tricky conditions Thursday morning. 

Up to eight inches of snow fell on parts of Southeast Michigan, and it'll take several hours before most major roadways are cleared and plows can tackle residential streets. Crews have been pulling 16 hour shifts to keep the city running smoothly. 

But even the best paved roads can't prevent all danger. Many of the crashes Michigan State Police are responding to are avoidable accidents. 

"Most of the crashes we're seeing unfortunately are driver error. A little bit too fast, a little too close to the car in front of them.," said Lt. Mike Shaw. 

Here is an incident summary of what authorities have responded to Thursday morning: 

• Between about 5 and 6:30 a.m., about 10 accidents happened across Metro Detroit involving cars sliding off the road.
• Around 5:30 a.m., a vehicle slid off the road on eastbound I-696 approaching the Lodge. A tow truck arrived and pulled it from the ditch.
• Around 6:15 a.m., a truck spun entirely around in the left lane of eastbound I-94 at Trumbell in downtown Detroit, facing oncoming traffic as a Michigan State Police vehicle blocked the lane.

"Slow down. That's your best bet for anything," Shaw added. 

Prosecutor asks Crumbley parents cut courtroom talk

No more blowing kisses and no more secret signals. That's the directive that the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office wrote in a Wednesday court filing regarding the conduct of James and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of accused Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley.

The prosecution asked that the couple stop their behavior while in court together, arguing it makes a joke of the judicial system and the crimes they're accused of. "Mr. & Mrs. Crumbley’s conduct in court makes a mockery of the crimes they are accused of committing. The courtroom is not a place for blowing kisses and sending secret signals. This is a time for families to pursue justice," read a statement from the prosecutor's office.

The Wednesday filing said the Crumbley couple's actions, including one instance where James appears to mouth ‘I love you’ to Jennifer during their first appearance in court, were a serious distraction and also traumatic for the families connected to the shooting. 

Both parents face four counts of involuntary manslaughter after their son allegedly shot up a school, killing four students and injuring others. Ethan Crumbley faces terrorism and first-degree murder charges. They have all pleaded not guilty. 

Detroit lawyer accuses Michigan judge of racism

A Black lawyer claims racism was involved when a West Michigan judge denied her request to attend a hearing virtually. "You might as well have called me the N-word, what she was doing up there," Lillian Diallo said. The Detroit-based attorney said she was sick from breast cancer treatment, so she asked to attend a Jan. 6 sentencing for one of her clients virtually because it was in Ottawa County, about three hours away.

Diallo said she asked to attend via Zoom after seeing that the court's website had a virtual hearing option. The clerk told her that Judge Karen Miedema required that she be in the courtroom. Diallo said she obliged to avoid harming her client.

However, she feels that happened after she confronted Miedema when she saw another lawyer attending virtually. "The lawyer was on the screen, allowed to Zoom in for the same kind of proceeding – a sentencing. He’s white, and I am not," Diallo said. She later learned that the attorney also had a medical condition. Diallo alleges that her client paid the price – he was not given a plea deal despite being a young first time offender, she said. 

When FOX 2 reached out to Miedema for comment, Court administrator Susan Franklin responded. A statement read in part, "The 20th Circuit Court strongly denies that racism was a factor in any decisions related to this case or others.  The 20th Circuit Court was not informed prior to the hearings that Ms. Diallo was suffering complications of cancer, as court staff was only advised that she was ‘in treatment’ without further detail."

ACLU sues Michigan again over sex offender registry

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan sued the state Wednesday over the latest version of the sex offender registry, arguing that it violates the rights of people who must live under unconstitutional restrictions. The ACLU has repeatedly won key decisions in state and federal courts over Michigan’s registry. 

But the group said lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer responded with a new edition that still isn’t acceptable. "What we’re asking for is very simple: Consider the facts in each case before someone is tarred as a sex offender for life. Dying shouldn’t be the only way a person can get off the registry," ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman said.

The Michigan Supreme Court last year said a 2011 version of the registry was unconstitutional when applied retroactively to certain offenders. The decision followed similar rulings from federal courts. The lawsuit said the new law fails to provide any individual review or opportunity to be removed from the registry. It said the law retroactively extends registration rules for thousands of people.

The plaintiffs include a man who was never charged or convicted of a sex offense. He pleaded no contest to kidnapping for forcing a McDonald’s manager and her teen son into the restaurant to open a safe. He’s required to register as a sex offender, the ACLU said. The new law eliminated restrictions about living near a school and attending school events.

--Courtesy of the Associated Press

Woman run over, left for dead outside Detroit school

Detroit Police are investigating after a woman was found brutally attacked in the parking lot of a school on the city's east side and authorities said she was run over multiple times. The woman has not been identified by police, who say she is in very critical condition. According to DPD Captain Kimberly Blackwell, the woman was run over multiple times.

"Someone rolled over her, backed up, and rolled over her again. So she was just left for dead," Blackwell said. The woman was laying on frigid cement outside of Fisher Magnet Upper Academy in Detroit early Monday morning. She laid there for hours, unconscious, until a man found the 18-year-old and called 911.

"Her chances of survival have been very slim. She is definitely a fighter though. She’s been in the hospital since Monday and she’s fighting for her life," Blackwell said. Authorities said the attack happened before school and the woman is not a student there. Why she was run over and left for dead is unclear but Blackwell said whoever did it was trying to kill her.

"The purpose is pretty obvious they were trying to take this young lady’s life," Blackwell said. There are cameras at the school, which is a Project Green Light location, the video isn't great, but you can see her being run over multiple times. "For someone to survive this long, after this brutal attack is amazing," Blackwell said. The woman is still unconscious and police are hoping someone knows something and makes a call.

What else we're watching

1. Police departments from Brownstown, Woodhaven, Allen Park, and Trenton will be competing in a sled race Thursday. The four departments will race at Kekoa Brew Co., located at the Civic Center Park on Hall Road in Woodhaven.  
2. Despite reports saying otherwise, University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh is staying with the Wolverines. The head coach has interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings, but instead will return to the school for the 2022 season. 
3. Hackers appear to have stolen $260 million in cryptocurrency by taking advantage of a weakness in one of the currency's security. A $10 million bounty has been offered for the return of the funds. 
4. In an effort to keep Michigan schools running, the legislature is considering opening up teaching positions to college students amid a shortage in educators.  
5. The DNR says reservations for popular camping spots in the state are up. It could mean another busy season for outdoor recreation in Michigan this spring, summer, and fall. 

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Say goodbye to falling snow (mostly) and hello to the returning wind chill, which will send temperatures into the single digits for anyone outside. It's going to be an uneventful end of this week and beginning of next week.

International Space Station to retire in 2031, crashing into the Pacific Ocean

NASA says it plans to extend operations of the International Space Station until 2030 after which it plans to retire the station and crash it into a remote region of the Pacific Ocean commonly known as Point Nemo.

"The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that is returning enormous scientific, educational, and technological developments to benefit people on Earth and is enabling our ability to travel into deep space. The Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to extend space station operations until 2030 will enable the United States to continue to reap these benefits for the next decade while U.S. industry develops commercial destinations and markets for a thriving space economy," NASA wrote in a statement on Jan. 31.

NASA says it plans to extend operations of the International Space Station until 2030 after which it plans to retire the station and crash it into a remote region of the Pacific Ocean commonly known as Point Nemo. 

"The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that is returning enormous scientific, educational, and technological developments to benefit people on Earth and is enabling our ability to travel into deep space. The Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to extend space station operations until 2030 will enable the United States to continue to reap these benefits for the next decade while U.S. industry develops commercial destinations and markets for a thriving space economy," NASA wrote in a statement on Jan. 31.