Charges continue piling up against Detroit mayor

(DETROIT) For anyone keeping score, the leader of the nation's 11th-largest city now faces 10 felony charges in two separate cases.

Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was charged Friday with assaulting two investigators who were trying to deliver a subpoena to the mayor's friend last month. The two felony counts carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine of $2,000.

Kilpatrick spent Thursday night in jail after violating bond conditions in the other case against him. He is accused along with a former top aide of perjury and other charges over their testimony in a lawsuit.

The city charter says a felony conviction evicts him from office. The City Council already wants to bounce Kilpatrick on other grounds. And Gov. Jennifer Granholm, acting under a little-used state law, has scheduled a hearing for Sept. 3 that could lead to his removal for misconduct.

"The charges against the mayor are very serious, and the state of affairs is clearly hurting the business of our community," said U.S. Rep. John Dingell, a Democrat representing suburban Detroit and the dean of the state's congressional delegation.

"I sincerely hope that the mayor's legal issues are dealt with quickly so these ongoing sagas no longer interfere with the important work before the leaders in Detroit, Wayne County and the state," Dingell said in a statement.