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Ann Arbor seems to be a magnet for strange events and another of these occurred on June 27, 1983. Billed as a gay pride rally, gay activists staged a parade through the downtown streets. While this certainly is not unusual, an Ann Arbor man made it very interesting.

Officer Rick Cornell took it upon himself to assist the rally by blocking off traffic as the activists marched through the streets. Although the organizers had a parade permit, no one had informed the police department of the event so no special arrangements were made.

Robert Higgins attended the parade but was not an invited guest. For reasons unknown, he approached the marchers and began pushing them and yelling slurs such as “faggots.” A struggle ensued and one of the marchers claimed she was assaulted by Higgins, although he later said he was the one assaulted.

Higgins left the rally site, drove to K-Mart and bought a .20 gauge shotgun. He drove back to the rally and pointed the loaded shotgun at the marchers.

Officer Cornell had been called away so he did not observe Higgins pointing the shotgun. He did receive a call that Higgins was harassing the group and responded back to the Federal Building where the marchers had ended up.

Once he arrived there, he was told that Higgins had a shotgun and pointed it at the marchers, then entered his nearby vehicle. Officer Cornell snuck up on Higgins and through the car window, pointed his revolver at his head while disarming him, as he still had the shotgun in his hands. Higgins was then placed under arrest for the felonious assault.

After the incident gay pride backers attended a city council meeting voicing their concern over the way in which the situation was handled. They thought the police department took the incident lightly and were indifferent to the situation. They also said it took Officer Cornell over 20 minutes to respond to the incident, which was found to be false. They also felt the 911 operator did not take their call seriously.

What at first seemed like an outstanding arrest was tarnished by persons without any factual basis, questioning Officer Cornell's actions. Councilman Raphael Ezekiel said he was told it took 15 to 20 minutes for Officer Cornell to arrive after the first call was made. He also questioned why the police response was not handled in a more timely and professional manner.

Another councilman said the incident was an example of “homophobia” in our country. He pointed out that when the Nazis rallied in town they received more protection than the gay rights marchers.

Ann Arbor News Columnist Don Faber had a different view however, praising Officer Cornell for his actions and stating that Councilman Ezekiel “proves once again that he can rise to any occasion by cheapening it.”

If all this was not bizarre enough, it even took on another weird turn.

Higgins was released on bond and appeared for jury selection as he pled not guilty. The jury was selected and the trial was ready to begin. Higgins, who was married to a famous author and professor at the university, fled the country with her to avoid prosecution, fleeing to France. It's believed they thought the police department was searching for them all this time they were on “the run.”

The trial continued on without Higgins presence and he was convicted of the crime in abstentia.

During his years in France, Interpol was aware of Higgins whereabouts and notified the department. The police department did not want to extradite someone from France on a felonious assault warrant, however.

In 1998, the Louisville Kentucky Police Department began receiving information about Higgins. He assumed his wife's last name and they returned to the states to care for his wife's ailing mother. Higgins once again began his bizarre behavior, writing threatening letters to hospital employees.

Looking into these letters they discovered his real name and found the Ann Arbor warrant from 1983 on the computer. They contacted our prosecutor and officers were prepared to extradite Higgins from Kentucky.

Certainly it would have been surprising if Higgins received much, if any jail time on the original charge in Ann Arbor. In any event the Louisville Police Department attempted to arrest Higgins and he barricaded himself in his home. Negotiations with him and his wife lasted for over six hours but were unsuccessful.

Higgins committed suicide by cutting his throat with a kitchen knife, thus ending this 15-year bizarre story.