Thursday, September 4, 2008

MAYOR TO RESIGN
MAYOR KILPATRICK PLEADS: ‘I LIED UNDER OATH’

George Hunter and Doug Guthrie / The Detroit News

DETROIT — In four short words, Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick acknowledged his guilt this morning, admitting that he lied during the whistleblower case brought by two former police officers who claimed they were punished for looking into wrongdoing by the mayor’s staff.

“I lied under oath,” Kilpatrick said after he pleaded guilty to two felonies, a pled that will require him to spend four months in the Wayne County jail, to resign his office and to pay $1 million in restitution.

Kilpatrick will also agree not to seek office during the five years he is on probation and will surrender his state pension to the county. He will also surrender his law license.

In exchange, Wayne County prosecutors will drop the remaining six charges against him — including the perjury counts — and agree to not prosecute him for other issues that arouse from the investigation into the perjury and obstruction of justice case.

The resignation is to occur immediately and he is to pay $20,000 of the restitution when he is sentenced, which is expected to occur on Oct. 28.

Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice and Judge David Groner accepted the plea. Kilpatrick also pleaded no contest to an assault charge against him stemming from a confrontation with two investigators on July 24. The other assault charge was dropped.

Kilpatrick said he was in agreement with the deal. But after Groner, going through routine language regarding a plea bargain, asked Kilpatrick that he was giving up his right to be innocent until proven guilty.

“I think I gave up that right a long time ago,” Kilpatrick said.

You can reach George Hunter at (313) 222-2134 or ghunter@detnews.com

Kilpatrick Pleads I Lied Under Oath/”

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Well. That’s that.

Let the healing begin….