Judge dismisses school 5G tower suit • Drunk driver hits 105 mph before crash • Exoneree sues for $50M
WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - A judge ruled against parents in the fight over a cell tower on top of Washington Elementary in Wyandotte.
Concerned parents have been fighting against the tower for months, citing concerns about health after the tower appeared atop a chimney of the school.
An agreement between the district and T-Mobile led to the cell phone provider placing a 5G tower on the chimney of the school. In exchange, the school gets a little over $1,000 a month. This deal was reached in 2018, but the tower has recently been placed at the school.
The judge ruled that the parents do not have grounds to sue because there was no harm, and they can't sue based on speculated harm
Parents plan to appeal the decision.
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Judge dismisses Wyandotte elementary school 5G cell tower lawsuit
A judge dismissed a lawsuit that was filed over a 5G cell phone tower placed atop an Washington Elementary. Parents have fought against the tower, citing concerns about the potential impacts on the health of students.
Drunk driver reached 105 mph on Telegraph before crashing
A speeding drunk driver hit 105 mph before crashing early Tuesday, police said.
Dearborn Heights police were pursuing the driver on Telegraph. The officer was about to call off the chase when the suspect ran a red light at Northline and T-boned another driver.
"Initially (we) clocked him at 20 over, give or take, and as we tried to effect a stop the individual made the decision for him to flee from us," said Paul Vanderplow with the Dearborn Heights Police Department.
The crash sent debris into a nearby parking lot and created a mess for police and fire teams who needed to extricate the suspect driver from his vehicle. The victim who was hit suffered minor injuries.
"We're caught between a rock and a hard place here. These individuals who are causing chaos in our communities, they're speeding, they're causing accidents - we have to put a stop to that," Vanderplow said.
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Drunk driver reached 105 mph on Telegraph before crashing
A Dearborn Heights officer was about to call off the pursuit when the fleeing truck ran a red light and was T-boned by an innocent driver.
Motorcyclist killed after being hit by wrong-way driver
A father was on his way to work on his motorcycle early Monday when a wrong-way driver hit and killed him.
Luke Williford was struck by the wrong-way driver on 12 Mile in Roseville when he collided with a pickup truck going the wrong way on Gratiot.
That driver stopped at the scene and is cooperating with the police.
His cousin, Erik Stark, said Williford was a good man who was putting his life back together.
"He did do a term in prison. If the purpose of prison is to reform, Luke is the ultimate statistic. He came right out, got back to work, started loving his kids, digging into his community," Stark said.
Williford leaves behind two children.
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Motorcyclist killed after being hit by wrong-way driver in Clinton Twp
A 27-year-old father of two kids died early Monday morning while riding his motorcycle to work when he collided with a truck going the wrong way down Gratiot.
Bodycam footage shows Dearborn Fire chief slurring words during traffic stop
Dearborn Fire Chief Joseph Murray is accused of driving drunk early Tuesday.
Murray was stopped on Telegraph in Dearborn Heights for speeding and swerving around 3 a.m. police say. Bodycam footage of the interaction shows Murray slurring his words and telling an officer he had four or five beers. He also refused a breathalyzer test and was taken into custody.
"I feel like I need to wait for a lawyer," he said before being detained.
He was later taken to a local hospital for a blood draw after police received a warrant. The results of the draw have not been released.
However, Murray wasn't let out of lockup until about 10 hours after his arrest.
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Bodycam footage shows Dearborn Fire chief slurring words during traffic stop
Bodycam footage obtained by FOX 2 shows the moment the chief of Dearborn's fire department was arrested for alleged drunk driving.
Exonerated man sues for $50 million
A man got out of prison this year after serving 7 ½ years for a robbery he did not commit. Now, he is suing police for $50 million.
Howell was sentenced to 25–50 years in prison after he was convicted of robbing an Eastpointe 7-Eleven store on April 3, 2014. He was released from prison this March after evidence proved his innocence.
"When you think about how much that is, measure that against the amount of harm and it balances," said attorney Wolfgang Mueller.
Mueller alleges that the investigator on the case, Matthew Hambright, withheld information about the case, resulting in Howell's errant conviction.
The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit looked at the case and asked for Howell to be released after seeing new evidence that wasn't known at the time and was not available during his trial.
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Exoneree files $50M lawsuit against police after spending 7 1/2 years in prison for crime he didn't commit
A man who spent more than seven years in prison for a Macomb County robbery he didn't commit is now suing police for $50 million. Mack Howell was sentenced to 25–50 years in prison after he was convicted of robbing an Eastpointe 7-Eleven store.
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Wednesday feels like fall before the heat returns this weekend.
What else we're watching
- Gretchen Whitmer's "What's Next Address" today will include calls for further removing hurdles to abortion access like waiting periods and insurance restrictions, as well as codifying the Affordable Care Act and including protections for pre-existing conditions.
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- A Macomb County medical examiner employee accused of stealing pills from the property room is scheduled to be sentenced today.
- The Michigan State Fair starts Thursday. Here's what to know about the event.
- Music, food, and art are about to take over downtown Royal Oak for Arts. Beats & Eats. Check out our event guide.
Hurricane Idalia makes historic landfall in Florida
Raging Hurricane Idalia officially made an unprecedented and historic landfall Wednesday along Florida's Gulf Coast, blasting destructive winds, heavy rainfall and catastrophic storm surge.
The Category 3 storm it along the coast of the Florida Big Bend near Keaton Beach about 7:45 a.m. local time, posing an immediate threat to lives and properties with its 125 mph winds and significant flooding.