The Greatest Accolade Ever ! whoops...

Crimminal buddy gets his due...
Obama Endorses Kwame Kilpatrick

Whoops! Wish I hadn't said all those nice things about such a sweetheart of a guy.

Detroit Mayor Jailed; Appeal Set For Friday
Judge Revokes Bond, Suspends Travel
POSTED: 10:09 am EDT August 7, 2008
UPDATED: 6:41 pm EDT August 7, 2008

DETROIT -- Inmate No. 25330, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, will be treated the same as any other prisoner in the Wayne County Jail as he spends the night Thursday, said Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans.
Despite Kilpatrick's humble apologies to the court, Judge Ronald Giles sent Kilpatrick to Wayne County Jail for failing to notify the court of his trip to Canada and violating the terms of his bond. He also revoked Kilpatrick's bond and suspended all travel.
"If it was not Kwame Kilpatrick sitting in that seat, if it was John Six-Pack sitting in that seat, what would I do? And that answer is simple," Giles said.
Evans said at a news conference Thursday Kilpatrick will have his own cell on the second floor for his protection, in an area designated for high-profile prisoners. Only the deputies guarding him will have access to Kilpatrick.
"Trust me. I have been doing this for 35 years. I know how to protect prisoners," said Evans.
Kilpatrick will have access to a collect phone and his lawyers and direct family can see him.
Kilpatrick's attorneys immediately petitioned the ruling, and an appeal was scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday.
Circuit Court Judge Thomas Jackson will review a transcript of Thursday's bond hearing and decide if Giles abused his discretion when he sent Kilpatrick to jail.
"The judge did what he thought was right. We don't agree," said defense lawyer James Thomas.
During Thursday's bond hearing, before Giles made his decision, Kilpatrick addressed the court and apologized for violating his bond conditions when he went across the border last month to push the sale of the city's half of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
"Your Honor, I am asking for your forgiveness. It will never happen again," he said.
He told Giles that he violated his bond to save the city and close a $300 million deficit facing the city.
Kilpatrick continued to praise Giles and the court. "I respect the heck out of you for taking this case under all this scrutiny," he said humbly. "I apologize. This was not at all affront to you or the court. I don't believe there is a person who has ever been through this process that respects it more than I do."
Kilpatrick also said he has been under intense pressure to continue to run the city and bear the burden and media parade of the trial.
"My life has been revolutionarily transformed and it's transforming in front of the eyes of these media people who don't know me at all," he said, referring to what he called intense scrutiny. "Your honor, I ask for your forgiveness...it will never happen again."
Watch Complete Kilpatrick Apology To Judge
Thomas acknowledged the mayor violated the terms of his bond, but said it was an emergency.
The judge asked, "Who was sick? Who was dying?"
"The city of Detroit was sick," Thomas said, referring to the $75 million deal the mayor said would help balance Detroit's budget.
A Windsor Star photographer snapped pictures of Kilpatrick in Windsor two weeks ago, the day he allegedly assaulted a Detroit police officer.
Kilpatrick said he had an emergency meeting with Windsor officials after the Detroit City Council voted against the tunnel deal, which would sell Detroit's half of the international border to erase a $65 million budget deficit and avert layoffs of city employees.
At the time Kilpatrick's bond terms stated he can leave the state, but he must give the court a sealed envelope with his travel plans at least 48 hours before the trip.
After Kilpatrick's apology, Wayne County Prosecutor Robert Moran denied the mayor's sincerity and said he was only taking responsibility because he got caught.
"He thought he got away with it," Moran said.
Moran continued to say that he felt the mayor has not taken the entire process seriously.
Giles seemed unmoved by the mayor's apology and ordered him to jail, at least for the night.
Giles recognized Kilpatrick's mayoral duties are important, but said his relationship with the court should be his first priority.
Judge Orders Mayor To Jail
Newly appointed Deputy Mayor Kandia Milton will act as mayor while Kilpatrick is incarcerated.
Milton will continue to act as deputy mayor until Nov. 30.
He called a news conference Thursday to assure citizens Detroit will run at an optimum level. He also said he has spoken with Kilpatrick since he was jailed and he continues to be positive about serving the city and he is in "good spirits."
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy expressed her approval of Giles decision in a statement Thursday. "I think it was most appropriate for Judge Giles to take action regarding Defendant Kilpatrick’s bond considering his most recent behavior. Judge Giles treated this defendant as any other defendant would have been treated," she said.
“It’s a real, real tragedy,” said Detroit City Council member Sheila Cockrel. “It’s a tragedy for the mayor, his family and the city.”
CLICKON SOUNDOFF HERE: Judge's Decision
Both Kilpatrick and former chief of staff Christine Beatty were in court on Thursday morning and waived their rights to a preliminary examination and will head to trial on perjury and other criminal charges.
Kilpatrick and Beatty are charged with perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice, all tied to their testimony in a civil trial last year.
They are accused of lying about having an intimate relationship and their roles in the firing of a police official.
Both deny the charges.
But excerpts of sexually explicit text messages recovered from Beatty's city-issued pager and first published in January by the Free Press contradicted their testimony.
The judge bound the two over to Wayne County Circuit Court for the criminal proceedings.
They are scheduled to be arraigned in Circuit Court on Aug. 14.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy released the following statements Thursday regarding the mayor’s decision to waiver his right to a preliminary examination.
“The defense team can spin it all they want. However, they have conceded that there is ample evidence to send this case to the Wayne County Circuit Court – Criminal Division. We are very pleased that the defense has acquiesced and enabled the process to move forward.”
Copyright 2008 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.