Stellantis layoffs • Doctor arrested for painkiller scheme • Man guilty in death of Eastern Market CEO's wife

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - Pink slips are coming to nearly 200 Stellantis workers in Sterling Heights.

Stellantis said it will terminate nearly 200 workers at Sterling Heights Assembly this weekend. Most of them had been brought in to cover increased vacation usage during the summer.

The automaker said the second action involves a "full execution" of UAW layoffs "across its footprint." There's no final number of jobs being cut or a timeline.

Stellantis says this is being done to protect the company from uncertainty in the market while still making cars and trucks people can afford.

Jan Griffiths, a former auto supply chain executive, weighed in on the layoffs.

"What they have done with that statement, is they have completely paralyzed the company by fear," she said. "When you talk about indefinite layoffs, ongoing assessments of manufacturing processes and footprints. This means that Stellantis is on a tear. This is a very aggressive action."

Stellantis previously announced the end of a key shift at Warren Truck, cutting nearly 2,500 jobs. Now there is the threat of a possible strike.

Doctor arrested for painkiller scheme

A neurologist’s painkiller scam was foiled by Taylor police Tuesday morning. 

The 78-year-old doctor is accused of prescribing painkillers to thousands of patients who did not need them.

While he was being arrested by police, the doctor told FOX 2 he was "shocked" because he "didn't do anything wrong."

"It's huge," said Taylor Police Detective Phil Wengrowski. "Just getting him off the street is essentially like taking a drug dealer off the street."

Wengrowski has been working on the case for four years. The doctor is second in Michigan for prescribing pills like hydrocodone and ketamine.

"We received a tip on this several years ago when the doctor was actually cut off at a pharmacy near the Michigan-Ohio border for the amount of controlled substances that were being filled at that pharmacy," the detective said.

According to police, people were traveling from all over the Midwest to get their painkillers from the neurologist’s office.

Man found guilty in death of Eastern Market CEO's wife

A jury found a Romulus man guilty of all charges this week after he hit the Eastern Market CEO and his wife last year while intoxicated and on drugs.

Dan and Vivian Carmody were walking to dinner on the afternoon of Aug. 18, 2023, when police say Jacob Thomas Mraulak hit them on Lafayette near St. Aubin in Detroit. Dan was injured and needed surgery, while Vivian died later that day.

Authorities said Mraulak drove the wrong way on two streets, ran a red light, and drove on the sidewalk, hitting the Carmodys.

Mraulak was found guilty of operating while intoxicated causing death, reckless driving causing death, operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, and reckless driving causing serious injury after a trial that lasted four days.

Strike deadline looms for River Rouge Tool & Die

Workers are expected to walk off the job at the Ford River Rouge Tool & Die Unit in Dearborn on Wednesday night.

This comes after the United Auto Workers served a strike notice to the automaker last week.

The union said last week that the contract for the more than 500 people it represents expired more than a year ago, and still no deal has been reached. Main issues for employees and the UAW include wages, job security, and work rules.

If no deal can be reached by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, workers will head to the picket line in Dearborn.

Doctor sued for sex assault, recording patients

Two class action lawsuits have been filed against Dr. Oumair Aejaz, accused of sexually assaulting and taking thousands of naked pictures and videos of patients.

"What we do know is that this was a very sick individual, a monster," said Attorney Parker Stinar.

Stinar represents the victims, who at this time want to remain anonymous, because of the embarrassing nature of the allegations.

Aejaz, who was a doctor in Rochester Hills but practices in other locations as well, was arrested earlier in August after he allegedly placed hidden cameras in a variety of settings from bathrooms, changing areas, hospital rooms, and even his own home where he would record children as young as 2 years old in varying states of undress. He also allegedly recorded sexual encounters with numerous women who were unconscious or asleep.

The magnitude of Aejaz's offenses is not currently known, but Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said it will take months to fully investigate.

The lawsuits also name DMC, Sinai Grace, and Henry Ford Macomb.

Henry Ford released a statement, saying, "We continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement, who conducted a security assessment of our building — in addition to a sweep we conducted. No unauthorized cameras or recording devices were found in those sweeps. Beyond this, we cannot comment on pending litigation."

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Daily Forecast

After a rainy Tuesday, today will shape up to be dry.

What else we're watching

1. An argument led to a man being shot outside a Detroit Meijer on Eight Mile and Woodward on Tuesday morning.
2. The Oak Park Library is currently closed while it awaits an inspection from a pest control company. The building was inspected following concerns from patrons.
3. A dog that was in labor was confined to a Detroit garage after she gave birth to four stillborn puppies on Monday and her health began rapidly declining. The dog was rescued but four out of five of her puppies died.
4. Ann Arbor police are investigating after two Jewish students say they were assaulted on the University of Michigan campus.
5. Tarik Skubal allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings as the Detroit Tigers took another step toward an improbable postseason appearance with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

Tropical Storm Helene nears hurricane strength in Caribbean on trek to Florida

Tropical Storm Helene is nearing hurricane strength just offshore of the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula toward the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The eighth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is forecast to undergo additional strengthening and is expected to become a hurricane on Wednesday. It will then rapidly intensify over the Gulf of Mexico and become a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) before making landfall in Florida's Big Bend region, the NHC says.

It would mark the third hurricane in the last two years to make landfall in Florida's Big Bend region (Hurricane Ian in 2022, Hurricane Idalia in 2023) if it stays on its forecast track.

"As expected, the intensity continues to increase," said FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Noah Bergren. "This will be a destructive storm with a catastrophic surge in the Big Bend – much worse than Idalia and a very fast-moving hurricane."