Washington - Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was jailed on Thursday for violating the terms of his bond, the latest twist in a long-running political scandal that has rocked one of the largest US cities. Kilpatrick already faces eight charges brought against him in March including conspiracy, perjury, misconduct in office and obstruction of justice. He was released on bond.
But a Detroit judge revoked the bond Wednesday after Kilpatrick admitted and apologized for making an unauthorized trip across the river to Windsor, Canada on city business.
"What matters to me ... is how the court overall is perceived," Judge Ronald Giles said in his decision. "If it was not Kwame Kilpatrick sitting in that seat, if it was John Sixpack sitting in that seat, what would I do? And that answer is simple."
Kilpatrick became Detroit's youngest mayor when he was elected in 2001 at the age of 31. He has refused to resign from his post since a scandal erupted seven months ago over an alleged affair with his chief of staff and the inappropriate firing of a police official.
Detroit's city council in May asked Michigan's governor to remove Kilpatrick from office.
