NEW YORK – Former Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh appeared in court last Thursday and, waiving extradition, was ordered back to Detroit to face criminal sexual conduct charges. The charges stem from what authorities are calling an inappropriate relationship Pugh had with a member of the Mosaic Youth Theatre who met Pugh when the group appeared on the weekend morning show Pugh was hosting for Fox 2.
The accuser, who authorities are not naming, is now 27 years old. He says he spoke to Pugh about an internship and the two exchanged numbers. Though an internship never materialized, Pugh did have the young man over to his apartment several times over the next few months where authorities are saying an improper relationship between the two occurred. The accuser was at the time 14 and 15 years old.
Pugh was arrested without incident at his apartment in Harlem last month. Last week stunning video of a weary looking Pugh materialized on the internet showing him being led from a New York court room in shackles.
No arraignment date has been set for Pugh in Detroit at this time and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office sent out a statement saying they were unsure exactly when he would arrive back in Michigan. A private security company has been hired to transport Pugh back to his home state.
"We will be contacted by authorities when he is available for video arraignment and a release will be sent out," the statement from the Prosecutor's Office read.
Though Pugh was ordered to pay a whopping $250,000 after a civil trial wherein his first accuser, Khody Sanford, said Pugh pressured him into making an X-rated video in exchange for pay, the newest charges leveled against the former Fox 2 reporter and anchor are far more damning and carry far greater consequences. Pugh is charged with six counts of criminal sexual conduct. Three of those counts are in the first degree, which carry life sentences. The last three are third degree charges, which carry a prison term of up to 15 years.
At press time Pugh had just been arraigned in Detroit's 36th District Court. Pugh entered a plea of not guilty. District Magistrate Millicent Sherman set bond at $500,000 despite requests from the prosecution that bail be denied. Pugh's next court appearance will be a probable cause hearing set for July 19.
Pugh Extradited, Headed Home to Detroit to Face Molestation Charges
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