Newly published text messages from Detroit's incommunicado council president indicate near-panic over a TV interview by the mother of a high school student he gave gifts to.
Charles Pugh no longer uses the cell phone number shown with texts obtained by The Detroit News.
"Please don’t allow them to move forward with your interview. This would DESTROY me,” he messaged the unnamed parent, according to Christine MacDonald of The Detroit News.
The paper says "a source close to the mother" -- which sounds like a six-word way of saying her lawyer -- provided copies of texts said to be from Pugh, who's in parts unknown and unreachable to comment. "MacDonald says a second anonymous source confirmed the number shown, now inactive, had been the council president's cell phone.
The messages also were shared with Charlie LeDuff of Fox 2 and Kevin Dietz of WDIV.
Detroit News: The mother has accused Pugh of having an inappropriate relationship with her 18-year-old son through Pugh’s leadership program at Frederick Douglass Academy and has threatened to sue. On Saturday, she filed a police report in Madison Heights, where she said an incident between the two occurred.
Texts quoted came from Pugh's phone before Ross Jones of WXYZ aired a story June 25 about the mom's account of feeling uncomfortable with Pugh's gifts and out-of-school contacts with in her son, a Frederick Douglass Academy student who's now 18.
Here's more of what he apparently messaged in an effort to block the TV report:
"I’ve ended the [mentoring] program at school. I’ll do anything else you want me to do."
“I feel like I’ve run out of options to even have a normal life. Or even live.”
“I don’t know that we should do this to boost their ratings and give them more money.”
“Can we please talk? . . . I can meet y’all somewhere for dinner. Maybe we can go to church together on Sunday and pray together.”
Pugh hasn't been at City Hall -- or apparently in Detroit -- for more than two weeks. Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr yanked his $76,000 salary and title last week, and council members next Tuesday plan to discuss whether they should fill the seat.
Councilwoman Brenda Jones on Tuesday requested a written recommendation from the city’s law department about how to replace Pugh, MacDonald writes.
