Harris, Trump in Michigan • Troy city employee charged with rape • DTE works to ease fears after murder

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will spend time in Michigan today as the push for the White House nears its final weeks.

Harris will start her day with speaking events in Grand Rapids and Lansing before heading to Waterford. She is expected to stay in the state through Saturday, when she will visit an early voting event in Detroit.

Harris was just in Michigan earlier this week as she worked to appeal to Black voters during an interview with Charlamagne tha God, of The Breakfast Club radio show. After recording the interview earlier in the day, she made a surprise visit to a watch party at a Detroit cafe,

Meanwhile, Trump will be in Oakland County before a rally at Huntington Place in Downtown Detroit on Friday night.

The rally is open to the public, and tickets are available here.

Trump's visit is his first trip back to Michigan after making several negative comments about Detroit during recent events. While speaking at the Detroit Economic Club on Oct. 10, the former president said attendees were "going to have a mess on your hands" if Kamala Harris wins the presidential race.

He again took aim at Detroit while in Chicago this week, saying that Detroit never had a comeback and calling the city horrible.

These visits and any future visits come as Michigan voters have already begun casting their ballots. Absentee ballots started heading out to voters in late September, and early voting is getting underway.

Troy volunteer firefighter accused of raping children years ago

A Troy city employee and volunteer firefighter is currently off the job after accusations of rape from years ago led to charges against him.

Brian Dodoro was arraigned on nine counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct on Thursday. He allegedly sexually assaulted two children under 13. Court records show the alleged crimes happened as far back as 2008.

"We're looking at a pattern of behavior that allegedly took place over five years," a judge said while arraigning Dodoro. 

Police said charges came much later because a victim finally felt comfortable enough to come forward.

In addition to volunteering with the fire department, Dodoro also works with the city's public works department.

While investigating, police found no evidence of any criminal activity associated with his job or taking place during Dodoro's work schedule.

Judge: Oxford HS shooter's sentence appeal requests 'violate the court rules'

Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe said the motions filed to appeal the Oxford High School shooter's life sentence and withdraw his guilty plea violate court rules.

"I was strongly inclined to simply strike the motions," Rowe said during a hearing Thursday.

The State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) submitted the motions in June, six months after the shooter was sentenced to life without parole. 

According to Rowe, the briefs filed by SADO exceeded the 20-page limit the court allows. He also accused attorneys of trying to extend a six-month appeal timeline by seeking to hold a hearing in June 2025.

Rowe gave the prosecutor's office time to provide a brief in response to the motions. Prosecutors have until Nov. 19 to submit a brief, which Rowe will then review and issue a written response to. SADO attorneys will not be permitted to amend or add supplemental information to their briefs because it is outside the six-month timeframe.

Oral arguments will not be heard unless Rowe deems them necessary after getting the prosecutor's brief.

"It would simply be a waste of time," Rowe said of holding oral arguments next year. 

2nd DTE impostor charged after murder

The second man accused of posing as a DTE worker has been charged in the home invasion and murder of a 72-year-old Rochester Hills man.

Joshua Zuazo, 39, of Dearborn, and Cartlos Hernandez are accused of pretending to be with DTE to get into Hussein 'Sam' Murray's home on Oct. 11. Once inside, they beat Murray to death, and assaulted and tied up his wife, authorities said.

Hernandez was arrested in Louisiana shortly after the murder, while Zuazo was caught in Plymouth Township earlier this week.

Both men are now facing charges of felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. 

"Impersonating utility workers - people we need and rely on, is despicable and threatens the sense of security of everyone in our community." said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. 

DTE trying to ease community concerns after impostors kill man

A week after two men posing as DTE Energy workers killed a man inside his Rochester Hills home, the utility company is working to calm community fears.

The two suspects are now in custody and facing charges, but concerns remain. For instance, some residents are getting door hangers telling them that it's time for safety inspections. These are from DTE, but some people are skeptical of their legitimacy after last week.

DTE encourages customers to verify the legitimacy of DTE workers and materials by calling 1-800-477-4747.

According to the utility company, it will make every effort to contact customers ahead of time before visiting their homes. In emergency cases, though, that might not be possible. In those cases, customers can call the number above to verify that a person at their door is in fact with DTE.

"Our employees know and are trained to make sure they have their ID card and make sure they have a good business reason to be there. And we encourage people to call in if they don’t believe them," said Bryan Valrance with DTE.

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Daily Forecast

A beautiful Friday leads into a fantastic weekend full of sun and warmer temps.

What else we're watching

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2. Detroit police are looking for teens hurling rocks down at passing cars from railroad tracks up above near the Amtrak station.
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4. Have a craving for a National Coney Dog but can't make it to a restaurant? No problem! The Detroit area Coney Island's chili sauce is now available at Walmart.
5. Ready to get scared this weekend? Check out our haunted attraction guide.

Liam Payne's cause of death revealed

Liam Payne's autopsy revealed that the One Direction singer died from "polytrauma" and "an internal and external hemorrhage."

Payne died Wednesday, Oct. 16, as a "result of the fall he suffered from the balcony of the third floor room of the hotel in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo where he was staying," according to the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office N°16, temporarily headed by Marcelo Roma. He was 31.

According to the report, circumstances surrounding his death are still being investigated as a "dubious" death, although it appeared as though Payne had been alone when the fall occurred and that the musician was "going through some type of outbreak resulting from substance abuse."

Authorities confirmed Payne died after 5 p.m. at the Casa Sur hotel in the Palermo district, located on Costa Rica Street. An employee called the emergency line to ask for help for a guest who was "under the influence of drugs and alcohol who had destroyed some objects in the room."