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Charges dropped against Michigan barber who reopened shop

Karl Manke says it's “definitely a weight” off his shoulders.

Credit: AP

Barber Karl Manke, of Owosso, gives a free haircut to Parker Shonts on the steps of the State Capitol during a rally in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, May 20, 2020. from the new coronavirus COVID-19. Barbers and hair stylists are protesting the state's stay-at-home orders, a defiant demonstration that reflects how salons have become a symbol for small businesses that are eager to reopen two months after the COVID-19 pandemic began. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

OWOSSO, Mich. — A lawyer says misdemeanor charges are being dropped against a Michigan barber who defied Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and reopened his shop during the coronavirus pandemic.

Karl Manke says it's “definitely a weight” off his shoulders.

Barbershops and salons were closed for months until June 15. But the 77-year-old Manke reopened in early May, declaring that “government is not my mother.”

Attorney David Kallman says the Shiawassee County prosecutor is dropping the case because of a recent Michigan Supreme Court decision about the governor's powers.

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