Chastised by judge, Mayor Kilpatrick’s lawyers drop plan to expand bond

David Josar, Mark Hornbeck and Oralandar Brand-Williams / The Detroit News

DETROIT – Attorneys for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick are withdrawing their plan, at least for now, to ask to have the mayor’s bond modified, which could include having the tether removed and allowing the mayor to travel beyond the Tri-Counties.

They had planned to ask Wayne County Circuit Judge David A. Groner to hold a hearing Thursday on that issue, but changed their minds after Groner chastised them Monday afternoon for not contacting the court earlier about their plans.

“Obviously, there must be some discussions going on there,” Groner said during a 2 p.m. hearing Monday.

The mayor’s attorneys had been in court requesting Groner to take up the matter on Thursday but scuttled that strategy after being dressed down by Groner.

Groner said he found out about the plan after the media reported a statement released Sunday night from one the mayor’s spokesmen. The judge added there was no need for an emergency hearing since Kilpatrick already has a court appearance scheduled for Sept. 4.

He said the attorneys “showed disrespect for the system and the court itself.”

In a statement circulated to the media — but apparently not the judge — on Sunday, a spokesman for Kilpatrick said the mayor no longer planned to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver and, therefore, the bond modification was no longer an urgent matter.

The mayor’s attorneys left without comment. Special assistant attorney general Doug Baker said he was unaware of plea negotiations.

However, the mayor’s attorney, Juan Mateo, told the judge part of the legal team’s request for bond modification involved “matters we won’t get into today.”

On Friday, Baker offered to drop one of two felony assault charges against the mayor if he resigned by Sept. 3, the tentative date Gov. Jennifer Granholm has scheduled for hearings on whether to remove the mayor for misconduct.

Kilpatrick, who faces eight other felonies related to the text-message scandal, is restricted from traveling outside Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. A GPS-based tether monitors his movements.

Michigan delegates, in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, said they are relieved Kilpatrick won’t attend. He is a super-delegate.

“It would have been a huge distraction,” said Danny Craig, 60, of Detroit, a delegate for Sen. Hillary Clinton. He’s already got enough media attention.”

Sen. Buzz Thomas of Detroit, an Obama delegate and co-chairman of Obama’s Michigan campaign, said “the mayor made the right decision. He has a number of things to focus on back in the city.”

You can reach Oralandar Brand-Williams at 313-222-2027 or bwilliams@detnews.com.