Hear no evidence, take no pleas...

Prentis Edwards, the county judge had jailed the two indefinitely Thursday in a travesty of normal standards of due process and legal procedure.

The judge in December refused up to hear any evidence from the bridge company on works it HAD done to comply after a flurry of construction this summer and fall. He refused to visit the site. He then refused this week to allow those threatened with jail to respond to charges. (If it happened in the Sudan the US Ambassador would protest strongly, and the UN would be put onto civil rights violations.)

Edwards seems to be in cahoots with the state Governor Rick Snyder who with the state DOT is pushing a rival state toll bridge - at a time when traffic has gotten so small (<50k/day total) it can hardly support the existing three crossings let alone a 4th.

Judge's son gets favor

Snyder recently gave judge Edwards' son a $150k/year judgeship.

Under norms of impartiality applying elsewhere in the country a judge asking and receiving favors for a son with a contentious case with the state would be 'recused.'

But not in Wayne Co, Detroit.

Such shenanigans were apparently too much for the state court of appeals today, which "on its own motion" ordered the two old bridge guys released pending an appeal to be heard February 2.

And then the truth begins to pour out...

"Jail Kirk along with Matty" - senate leader

The best comment on the jailing was made by the Michigan senate transportation committee chairman Mike Kowall.

He said there was at least as much blame with Michigan DOT as with the bridge company for the endless ramp wars.

The connections as such match up as MDOT wants, but property owned and under treaty they have no say with.  Given the DUTY FREE shops in the design, I would think this is the case.  Isn't he only capitalizing on the drive by?

If there is congestion or other traffic issues caused by his design off his map, I could see the complaints they would have.