Former Mayor Still Under Duress

A Farmington Hills lawyer hired to represent imprisoned former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick on his appeal said Tuesday that he plans to file an emergency motion this week for bond.
"When you analyze the law, you have to look at certain factors as to whether or not a person is entitled to a bond," Reed said during a news conference in his office. "The standard is different if a person has been convicted of an assaultive crime as opposed to a person who has not. Once you analyze and identify the proper standard, you have to look at whether the person is a danger, whether the person is a threat."

Last week, attorneys Michael Alan Schwartz and Daniel Hajji withdrew from representing Kilpatrick.

According to Reed's Web site, his areas of practice cover a wide swath -- from personal injury and criminal law to police misconduct, discrimination and civil rights.

"My focus will not be on text messages, alleged extramarital affairs and the like," Reed said. "We will legally analyze the conduct of the prosecution, as well as the court, in the recent probation hearing and subsequent sentencing."

Wayne County Circuit Judge David Groner's sentencing of Kilpatrick exceeded state guidelines, which called for a sentence ranging from no jail time to 17 months. Reed said there was no justification for exceeding the guidelines.

"As in any civilized society, the punishment should be made to fit the crime," Reed said. "Although tempting, we cannot succumb to the temptation to treat Mr. Kilpatrick differently. Yes, he once was a public figure. ... Today, he is a criminal defendant."

Reed would not say whether he is representing Kilpatrick for free.

In court last week, Kilpatrick had said there was no more money, so being represented by Schwartz had been a godsend.

"Money," Reed said, "is not an issue that I'm here to discuss."