"LANSING, MI -- A senator involved in a shooting incident last year may be able to serve jail time without resigning or giving up his taxpayer-funded salary under a plea deal approved by a Wayne County judge earlier this month.
The Senate has the power to expel a member but has not made any move to do so in regards to Virgil Smith, a Detroit Democrat.Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, met with Smith last week and said the legal process had not yet played out.
Asked about the possibility of Smith continuing to serve and continuing to collect a taxpayer-funded salary from jail, Meekhof said "that would be a concern."
...He reached a plea deal with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office to plead guilty to a felony, serve 10 months in jail and resign.
But Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Talon threw that last portion of the agreement out, saying he didn't have the power to enforce the resignation provision.
...Smith has voted with Republican leadership on many routine and key votes since the May 2015 incident.
No comments:
Post a Comment