Michigan
Juvenile bound over to circuit court on charges including second degree murder in fleeing and eluding case
Daniel Shane Canales, a 16-year-old from Detroit, was bound over to circuit court in connection with a fatal vehicle crash that allegedly occurred while he was fleeing from police on Saturday, July 12, 2025, according to Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.
On Monday, Nov. 4, 2025, the preliminary examination for Canales, which began on Sept. 29, 2025, concluded. Following the hearing, 41B District Court Judge Jacob Femminineo, Jr. bound Canales over to circuit court on all charges. The hearing was conducted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey Hall.
Canales was previously denied bond and is detained at the Juvenile Justice Center in Mt. Clemens.
Canales will be arraigned on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. before Judge James M. Maceroni at the Macomb County Circuit Court in Mt. Clemens, MI.
It is alleged that during the early morning hours of Saturday, July 12, 2025, Canales was driving a stolen car. Law enforcement activated lights and sirens to pull the vehicle over. Canales fled at a high rate of speed, eventually hitting another vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle, 28-year-old Alex Habib of Madison Heights, died from his injuries.
Michigan
Roseville woman sentenced to life in prison for felony murder
On Nov. 4, 2025, Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Diane M. Druzinski sentenced Kimora Hodges, a 24-year-old Roseville woman, to life in prison without parole for felony murder, and 15 to 40 years for first-degree child abuse, according to Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.
On July 31, 2025, a Macomb County jury found Hodges guilty after a six-day trial. The jury deliberated two hours before returning the verdict. The case was tried by Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Mark Laws and Lisa Lozen.
On June 13, 2022, Hodges physically harmed a 22-month-old child she was babysitting. The child suffered multiple injuries, including a subdural hemorrhage and bilateral retinal hemorrhages. Despite significant medical intervention, the child died from his injuries.
The case was delayed in reaching trial after Hodges appealed a trial court ruling that declined to suppress two statements. She argued that the statements were made after she had requested an attorney. The central issue on appeal was whether Hodges had unambiguously invoked her right to counsel during interrogation. If she had, officers were required to immediately stop questioning and could not resume until counsel was present. The Court of Appeals ultimately ruled that one statement must be suppressed, while the other could be admitted.
Michigan
Warren man arraigned on charges including assault with intent to murder
53-year-old Eddie Clark, 53, was arraigned on serious charges after an incident at his Warren apartment, according to Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, Warren police responded to an apartment on a domestic violence call. Officers knocked and announced their presence. It is alleged that officers heard someone inside the apartment say, “Y’all ready?” Clark opened the apartment door and pointed an AK47-style rifle at the officers. Officers quickly fired shots and exited the area. Clark eventually surrendered to police. Pursuant to a search warrant for the apartment, officers located the AK47-style rifle with a round in the chamber, and a handgun with the serial number scratched off. The individual who called the police was not harmed.
On Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, Clark was arraigned before Judge Suzanne Faunce in the 37th District Court in Warren, MI on the following charges: Assault with Intent to Murder, a life or any term of years felony; Weapons – Firearms – Possession by a Prohibited Person, a 5-year felony; Weapons – Ammunition – Possession by a Prohibited Person, a 5-year felony; Weapons – Firearms – Altering ID marks, a 2-year felony; 2 Counts of Weapons Felony Firearm, each a 2-year felony consecutive to main charge; Clark also has a Habitual Offender – Fourth Offense Notice, which is an aggravating sentencing factor.
Judge Faunce set Clark’s bond at one million dollars cash/surety. He is scheduled for a Probable Cause Conference before Judge John M. Chmura at the Warren District Court on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at 9:30 am.
California
Huntington Beach voter ID measure violates state law, appeals court says
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A California appeals court ruled Monday that a Huntington Beach measure requiring voter identification at the polls violates state law.
The Fourth District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana determined that the measure passed by voters in the seaside city of 200,000 people should be struck down because it conflicts with state election law, said Lee Fink, a lawyer for Huntington Beach resident Mark Bixby, who challenged the city’s measure. California Attorney General Rob Bonta also sued over the Huntington Beach law contending it would disenfranchise voters.
“Voting is the fundamental right from which all other rights flow, and no matter where threats to that right come from — whether from Washington D.C. or from within California — we will continue holding the line,” Bonta said in a statement. “California’s elections are already fair, safe, and secure.”
Corbin Carson, a Huntington Beach spokesperson, said the city is reviewing the appeals court’s ruling.
Residents of Huntington Beach voted last year to let local officials require voter identification at the polls starting in 2026. The measure also allows the city to increase in-person voting sites and monitor ballot drop boxes in local elections.
Bonta filed a lawsuit saying the measure conflicts with state law and could make it harder for poor, non-white, young, elderly and disabled voters to cast ballots. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, then signed into state law a measure barring local governments from establishing and enforcing laws that require residents provide identification to vote in elections.
Huntington Beach, which is known as “Surf City USA” for its scenic shoreline dotted with surfers, has a history of sparring with state officials over the measures it can take under its city charter on issues ranging from immigration to housing. The GOP is dominant in Huntington Beach with nearly 57,000 registered voters versus 41,000 Democrats, county data shows.
Washington
Lawsuit says First Brands founder splurged on exotic cars and celebrity chefs before bankruptcy
WASHINGTON (AP) — The management team that took over First brands as well as debtors of the once fast-growing Cleveland auto parts supplier have sued its founder and CEO, saying that they now know where at least some of the more than $2 billion in missing funds went before the company sought bankruptcy protection in September.
In a lawsuit this week, they say Patrick James, who acquired numerous auto suppliers to form what became First Brands, went on a spending spree, buying exotic cars, expensive homes and this year, spent a half million dollars on a “private celebrity chef.”
The managers that have taken over First Brands allege that James secured billions of dollars in debt financing based in part on fraudulent invoices, then transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to himself and other affiliates to “fund his and his family’s lavish lifestyle,” which includes seven homes and 17 cars.
The lawsuit claims that James, with the help of unnamed conspirators, transferred $8 million to his son-in-law’s wellness company. Other payments included $2 million for James’ family office, at least $3 million toward the rent of his New York City townhouse, $500,000 to his personal chef and another $150,000 for a “celebrity personal trainer,” the lawsuit claims.
The majority of the transfers occurred between 2023 and 2025, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs allege that in 2024 alone, James moved more than $100 million out of First Brands and into his trust and other of his personal businesses not affiliated with First Brands.
“Mr. James categorically denies the baseless and speculative allegations contained in the First Brands complaint,” a spokesperson for James said Wednesday. “Mr. James was given no opportunity to respond before the complaint was filed and he intends to immediately challenge it.”
James, who founded the company in 2013, resigned from First Brands last month, two weeks after the company filed for bankruptcy protection. In that bankruptcy filing, the company listed between $10 billion and $50 billion in debt and less than $10 billion in assets. At the bankruptcy hearing, a lawyer for the company said it had only $12 million in cash remaining.
Charles Moore was named First Brand’s interim CEO after being appointed as chief restructuring officer last month to sort out the company’s financial troubles and prepare it for a possible sale.
After changing its name to First Brands from Crowne Group about five years ago, the Cleveland company began buying and then cobbling together a number of aftermarket auto parts manufacturers through debt-financed deals. Acquisitions by First Brands included well-known brands like Fram filters, Autolite sparkplugs and Anco windshield wiper blades.
In a common business practice known as “factoring,” First Brands would borrow money against accounts receivables from retail customers including Walmart, AutoZone and Napa.
The lawsuit accuses James of “double pledging” those invoices to the tune of $2.3 billion.
A spokesperson for James said Wednesday that he has “has always conducted himself ethically and is committed to doing everything he can to support First Brands’ stakeholders during the restructuring process.”
One of First Brands’ lenders was Jeffries Financial Group, a publicly-traded Wall Street firm. Jeffries lent funds to the auto parts company through investment manager Point Bonita, which would collect on the invoices. Jefferies said that First Brands stopped relaying payments to Point Bonita on Sept. 15.
Jeffries, whose shares have lost more than 20% of their value since First Brands filed for bankruptcy in late September, has downplayed its exposure to the auto parts company’s collapse.
The First Brands bankruptcy has raised concerns about the transparency of the private credit market and whether lenders are doing enough due diligence on borrowers.
Juvenile bound over to circuit court on charges including second degree murder in fleeing and eluding case
Daniel Shane Canales, a 16-year-old from Detroit, was bound over to circuit court in connection with a fatal vehicle crash that allegedly occurred while he was fleeing from police on Saturday, July 12, 2025, according to Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.
On Monday, Nov. 4, 2025, the preliminary examination for Canales, which began on Sept. 29, 2025, concluded. Following the hearing, 41B District Court Judge Jacob Femminineo, Jr. bound Canales over to circuit court on all charges. The hearing was conducted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey Hall.
Canales was previously denied bond and is detained at the Juvenile Justice Center in Mt. Clemens.
Canales will be arraigned on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. before Judge James M. Maceroni at the Macomb County Circuit Court in Mt. Clemens, MI.
It is alleged that during the early morning hours of Saturday, July 12, 2025, Canales was driving a stolen car. Law enforcement activated lights and sirens to pull the vehicle over. Canales fled at a high rate of speed, eventually hitting another vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle, 28-year-old Alex Habib of Madison Heights, died from his injuries.
Michigan
Roseville woman sentenced to life in prison for felony murder
On Nov. 4, 2025, Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Diane M. Druzinski sentenced Kimora Hodges, a 24-year-old Roseville woman, to life in prison without parole for felony murder, and 15 to 40 years for first-degree child abuse, according to Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.
On July 31, 2025, a Macomb County jury found Hodges guilty after a six-day trial. The jury deliberated two hours before returning the verdict. The case was tried by Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Mark Laws and Lisa Lozen.
On June 13, 2022, Hodges physically harmed a 22-month-old child she was babysitting. The child suffered multiple injuries, including a subdural hemorrhage and bilateral retinal hemorrhages. Despite significant medical intervention, the child died from his injuries.
The case was delayed in reaching trial after Hodges appealed a trial court ruling that declined to suppress two statements. She argued that the statements were made after she had requested an attorney. The central issue on appeal was whether Hodges had unambiguously invoked her right to counsel during interrogation. If she had, officers were required to immediately stop questioning and could not resume until counsel was present. The Court of Appeals ultimately ruled that one statement must be suppressed, while the other could be admitted.
Michigan
Warren man arraigned on charges including assault with intent to murder
53-year-old Eddie Clark, 53, was arraigned on serious charges after an incident at his Warren apartment, according to Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, Warren police responded to an apartment on a domestic violence call. Officers knocked and announced their presence. It is alleged that officers heard someone inside the apartment say, “Y’all ready?” Clark opened the apartment door and pointed an AK47-style rifle at the officers. Officers quickly fired shots and exited the area. Clark eventually surrendered to police. Pursuant to a search warrant for the apartment, officers located the AK47-style rifle with a round in the chamber, and a handgun with the serial number scratched off. The individual who called the police was not harmed.
On Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, Clark was arraigned before Judge Suzanne Faunce in the 37th District Court in Warren, MI on the following charges: Assault with Intent to Murder, a life or any term of years felony; Weapons – Firearms – Possession by a Prohibited Person, a 5-year felony; Weapons – Ammunition – Possession by a Prohibited Person, a 5-year felony; Weapons – Firearms – Altering ID marks, a 2-year felony; 2 Counts of Weapons Felony Firearm, each a 2-year felony consecutive to main charge; Clark also has a Habitual Offender – Fourth Offense Notice, which is an aggravating sentencing factor.
Judge Faunce set Clark’s bond at one million dollars cash/surety. He is scheduled for a Probable Cause Conference before Judge John M. Chmura at the Warren District Court on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at 9:30 am.
California
Huntington Beach voter ID measure violates state law, appeals court says
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A California appeals court ruled Monday that a Huntington Beach measure requiring voter identification at the polls violates state law.
The Fourth District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana determined that the measure passed by voters in the seaside city of 200,000 people should be struck down because it conflicts with state election law, said Lee Fink, a lawyer for Huntington Beach resident Mark Bixby, who challenged the city’s measure. California Attorney General Rob Bonta also sued over the Huntington Beach law contending it would disenfranchise voters.
“Voting is the fundamental right from which all other rights flow, and no matter where threats to that right come from — whether from Washington D.C. or from within California — we will continue holding the line,” Bonta said in a statement. “California’s elections are already fair, safe, and secure.”
Corbin Carson, a Huntington Beach spokesperson, said the city is reviewing the appeals court’s ruling.
Residents of Huntington Beach voted last year to let local officials require voter identification at the polls starting in 2026. The measure also allows the city to increase in-person voting sites and monitor ballot drop boxes in local elections.
Bonta filed a lawsuit saying the measure conflicts with state law and could make it harder for poor, non-white, young, elderly and disabled voters to cast ballots. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, then signed into state law a measure barring local governments from establishing and enforcing laws that require residents provide identification to vote in elections.
Huntington Beach, which is known as “Surf City USA” for its scenic shoreline dotted with surfers, has a history of sparring with state officials over the measures it can take under its city charter on issues ranging from immigration to housing. The GOP is dominant in Huntington Beach with nearly 57,000 registered voters versus 41,000 Democrats, county data shows.
Washington
Lawsuit says First Brands founder splurged on exotic cars and celebrity chefs before bankruptcy
WASHINGTON (AP) — The management team that took over First brands as well as debtors of the once fast-growing Cleveland auto parts supplier have sued its founder and CEO, saying that they now know where at least some of the more than $2 billion in missing funds went before the company sought bankruptcy protection in September.
In a lawsuit this week, they say Patrick James, who acquired numerous auto suppliers to form what became First Brands, went on a spending spree, buying exotic cars, expensive homes and this year, spent a half million dollars on a “private celebrity chef.”
The managers that have taken over First Brands allege that James secured billions of dollars in debt financing based in part on fraudulent invoices, then transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to himself and other affiliates to “fund his and his family’s lavish lifestyle,” which includes seven homes and 17 cars.
The lawsuit claims that James, with the help of unnamed conspirators, transferred $8 million to his son-in-law’s wellness company. Other payments included $2 million for James’ family office, at least $3 million toward the rent of his New York City townhouse, $500,000 to his personal chef and another $150,000 for a “celebrity personal trainer,” the lawsuit claims.
The majority of the transfers occurred between 2023 and 2025, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs allege that in 2024 alone, James moved more than $100 million out of First Brands and into his trust and other of his personal businesses not affiliated with First Brands.
“Mr. James categorically denies the baseless and speculative allegations contained in the First Brands complaint,” a spokesperson for James said Wednesday. “Mr. James was given no opportunity to respond before the complaint was filed and he intends to immediately challenge it.”
James, who founded the company in 2013, resigned from First Brands last month, two weeks after the company filed for bankruptcy protection. In that bankruptcy filing, the company listed between $10 billion and $50 billion in debt and less than $10 billion in assets. At the bankruptcy hearing, a lawyer for the company said it had only $12 million in cash remaining.
Charles Moore was named First Brand’s interim CEO after being appointed as chief restructuring officer last month to sort out the company’s financial troubles and prepare it for a possible sale.
After changing its name to First Brands from Crowne Group about five years ago, the Cleveland company began buying and then cobbling together a number of aftermarket auto parts manufacturers through debt-financed deals. Acquisitions by First Brands included well-known brands like Fram filters, Autolite sparkplugs and Anco windshield wiper blades.
In a common business practice known as “factoring,” First Brands would borrow money against accounts receivables from retail customers including Walmart, AutoZone and Napa.
The lawsuit accuses James of “double pledging” those invoices to the tune of $2.3 billion.
A spokesperson for James said Wednesday that he has “has always conducted himself ethically and is committed to doing everything he can to support First Brands’ stakeholders during the restructuring process.”
One of First Brands’ lenders was Jeffries Financial Group, a publicly-traded Wall Street firm. Jeffries lent funds to the auto parts company through investment manager Point Bonita, which would collect on the invoices. Jefferies said that First Brands stopped relaying payments to Point Bonita on Sept. 15.
Jeffries, whose shares have lost more than 20% of their value since First Brands filed for bankruptcy in late September, has downplayed its exposure to the auto parts company’s collapse.
The First Brands bankruptcy has raised concerns about the transparency of the private credit market and whether lenders are doing enough due diligence on borrowers.
