Livonia tornado kills boy • Man driving during Zoom court never had license • Michigan Central concert info

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - A tree that crashed into a Livonia home during a tornado killed a 2-year-old boy and critically injured his mother.

The National Weather Service confirmed that the Wednesday storm was an EF-1 tornado with 90 mph winds.

The child was in a back bedroom of a home on Houghton Street near Nola with his mother when the tornado knocked a tree onto the home around 3:30 p.m. Crews spent about an hour cutting up the tree as they worked to free them from the home. 

"Crews worked tirelessly for over an hour, removing parts of the tree and lifting the tree with high-powered airbags to extricate the victims," Livonia Fire Chief Robert Jennison said. "This was a tough day.

A 2-month-old who was in a different room of the house is expected to be OK.

The powerful storm hit fast and without warning. The city said that the NWS called the storm "a spin-up storm which didn’t show up on their radars in enough time to issue a warning." 

Man driving during Zoom court never had a license

A man who joined a Zoom court hearing while driving has never held a valid driver's license, the judge said.

Corey Harris was driving as he logged into Judge Cedric Simpson's courtroom on May 15.

When Simpson asked if he was driving, Harris said he was parking at his doctor's office. Simpson called him out for driving without a license and ordered him to turn himself into the Washtenaw County Jail.

After that hearing went viral, Simpson did an interview and claimed he didn't know he was driving on a suspended license.

That wasn't true, according to Simpson. When Harris returned to his courtroom Wednesday, this time in person, the judge said he's never had a license to begin with.

"He has never had a license. Ever. And has never had a license in any of the other 49 states or commonwealths that make up this country," Simpson said.

The judge then explained that Harris did have his license privileges suspended.

"When they suspended his license…they don't suspend the license, they suspend the privilege to drive in the state. Hence, if he had a Kentucky license, he would have been allowed to drive anywhere that Kentucky allowed him to drive, he just couldn't drive in Michigan because his privileges have been restricted," he said.

Michigan Central concert

Jack White, Diana Ross, Big Sean, and more will take the stage tonight in celebration of Michigan Central.

Though free tickets to the concert were grabbed up quickly, you can still watch at  parties around the city. This includes two Downtown Detroit Partnership watch parties - one at Campus Martius and one at the Corner Ballpark - along with multiple parties at bars and restaurants.

Headed to Detroit? Expect it to be busy, and prepare ahead for road closures.

Here's everything you need to know before you go.

Detroit Riverfront Conservancy CFO accused of stealing $40M

William Smith, the former chief financial officer of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, embezzled nearly $40 million over a 12-year period from 2012 to 2024.

The alleged theft has shaken the nonprofit world in Detroit. The conservancy has been behind the restoration of the city's riverfront, turning it from a blighted shoreline into a popular attraction for local residents and visitors from out of town. 

Concerns of missing money were first brought to the conservancy board by its former CEO, who has since resigned. Soon after, the conservancy placed Smith on leave and requested Michigan State Police take over the investigation.

Due to the size of the investigation, the FBI is now handling the case. On May 31, Smith was fired. 

"This defendant is alleged to have abused the trust the Conservancy placed in him and to have carried out a fraud that is simply astonishing in scale. Today’s allegations are extremely serious ones, and my office is committed to pursuing anyone, regardless of their title, who fleeces taxpayers and charitable donors for their own private gain," U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said.

Unlicensed CPA, real estate agent enters plea

A Detroit woman accused of acting as an unlicensed real state agent and certified public accountant (CPA) entered a no contest plea this week.

Krystal Davis, 37, was the subject of a Hall of Shame investigation in 2020. She pleaded no contest to one count of accounting violations-unlicensed CPA and two counts of occupational code-unlicensed real estate agent.

Davis operated a business called Card Property Management, LLC. Using that business, authorities say she entered into a contract with the owner of two residential properties in Detroit to provide property management services, including determining rental rates, marketing the properties, selecting tenants, collecting rent, and handling evictions. However, she was not registered as a real estate broker or real estate salesperson, and therefore not allowed to perform these services. 

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Today will be drier and calmer after yesterday's storms.

What else we're watching

1. Brian Keely, a retired Michigan State Police sergeant, was in court Wednesday for his arraignment after video showed him ramming a fleeing suspect with his vehicle. Sameul Sterling was on foot when he was hit and killed.
2. A Detroit man is facing charges after he allegedly killed his girlfriend and shot the couple's young child in the neck earlier this week. Virgil Brown turned himself in after the crime.
3. Peninsulas, a store full of all things Michigan, is leaving Berkley as it focuses on its Up North location. The last day will be June 15.
4. William Clay Ford Jr., the executive chair at Ford Motor Co., sat down with FOX 2 to discuss Michigan Central's transformation from a blighted eyesore to a revitalized historic building.
5. It's almost the weekend! Find plans here.

Remembering D-Day 80 years later

June 6, 2024, marks the 80th anniversary of one of the largest air, land and sea invasions in military history. The Battle of Normandy, often referred to as D-Day and codenamed "Operation Overlord," has been described by historians as a major turning point for the Allied forces in World War II.

The nearly 160,000 Allied troops, made up of American, British and Canadian forces, landed on the beaches of Nazi-occupied France and were then able to push inland to Western Europe.

The bravery displayed by these troops has been depicted in many books and films, including "Saving Private Ryan" and the book-turned-HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers."