By Jim Utter
Director of Journalism
The chief judge of the 67th District Court of Michigan has put a halt to an alternative punishment issued last month that involved defendants washing cars in a retailer’s parking lot.
In mid-February, Genesee County (Michigan) District Court Judge Jeffrey Clothier offered up an alternative punishment for 48 people convicted of shoplifting from a local Walmart – washing cars for free in the retailer’s parking lot.
While car washing hasn’t been widely used as a formal punishment for crimes, there have been instances where community service involving washing cars has been imposed as part of a sentence.
All those convicted had shoplifted merchandise from the Walmart location in Grand Blanc, Michigan, over the past several months. Judge Clothier offered the car washing sentence as an alternative to jail time.
On March 14, however, Chief Judge William H. Crawford II issued a statement declaring that the car washes “will not be taking place as advertised.”
“Community service projects for the 67th District Court must be vetted by Court, County, and State, administrative and risk management personnel for liability, insurance and ethical concerns. This is especially true where the proposed alternative punishment deviates from the usual and accepted methods and where the recipient of the community service is both a victim and a for-profit organization,” Crawford said.
“Until such time that a formal proposal is submitted and approved by the appropriate officials to satisfy safety and liability concerns, ‘Walmart Washes’ will not be taking place as reported.”
As part of the original sentence, each of the people convicted of shoplifting was still required to pay the court an amount equal to the value of the merchandise they stole.
The shoplifters were then to wash cars for free during four weekends in March and April outside the Grand Blanc Walmart.
In his statement, Crawford did not say how or if the sentences of those convicted would now change. However, the original judge in the case told WAPT ABC 16 that he would order other types of community service to replace the car washing plan.
The unique punishment garnered national media attention, including from multiple TV networks, the Associated Press and the New York Post.
