By ALEXANDRIA

BOURNONVILLE

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — A plea deal in a case involving cameras in a public bathroom may be in jeopardy after a court hearing on Wednesday.

A former UP Health System-Marquette employee who allegedly hid cameras in a hospital bathroom is currently deliberating on a revised plea deal.

Court records say Jarod Havican, who was 26 at the time of the incident, used his position as an employee at UPHS-Marquette to plant the cameras in the bathroom, where people would be vulnerable and exposed.

Havican was arrested on Dec. 13, 2022, on seven counts of using a computer to commit a crime and an additional seven counts of capturing/distributing images of an unclothed person.

He was fired by UP Health System around the time of his arrrest.

Court documents say Havican pled guilty to one count of using a computer to commit a crime on Sept. 20. The other 13 counts were dismissed.

Havican has been free on bond for much of this year.

If he agrees to the conditions set forth by JudgeAndrew Griffin, he would plead guilty to one count of using computers to commit a crime.

According to Havican’s attorney, George Hyde III, the defendant has spent all of 2023 living with his parents under strict rules that forbid him from using devices connected to the internet, computers or cameras.

Havican expressed remorse for his actions during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing.

“I just want to apologize for my actions,” he said. “I know I hurt a lot of people, especially the victims, and I would like to apologize to my family for putting them through all of this.”

Only one of the victims in the case attended the sentencing hearing. She said more may have been present had there been more notice that it was happening.

She said the incidents have had a major impact on her life.

“Over the last year since Jarod’s gross invasion of my privacy, every time I leave the house I question who will be watching,” she said. “I continue to deal with anxiety that this sexual predator has caused.”

The victim said she is concerned that Havican had hidden cameras to spy on people before and that he will likely do it again, if his punishment consists of a “slap on the wrist.”

She went on to say that the original plea deal negotiated by prosecutor Hailey Kimball-Dexter, which consisted of five months in jail and 12 months of probation, is too lenient.

“This was deliberate, intentional and designed to degrade people he worked with,” the victim said.

She also asking Havican be required to register as a sex offender for his crimes.

Griffin explained that since a minor was not involved, Havican legally can’t be forced to register as a sex offender.

The victim’s husband and father said the incident has had an impact on the victim’s entire family.

Her father said the plea deal was not adequate for the crimes Havican committed.

“Today we’re looking at a plea agreement that simply says he’s going to be convicted of a computer crime,” he said. “A computer crime? That’s not what he did…. The crime was that he planted a camera to look at nude women.”

Griffin ultimately decided not to use the plea deal as negotiated by the defendant’s attorney and the prosecutor.

Instead, he proffered a sentence of six months in jail and 18 months of probation due to the defendant’s formerly clean record.

Rather than accepting or withdrawing, Hyde requested the hearing be adjourned so he could speak at length with his client.

If Havican withdraws his plea, the prosecutor said the case would likely continue in circuit court and pretrial conferences would be scheduled in preparation for a trial.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled to resume at 10 a.m. on Jan. 4.

Alexandria Bournonville can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 506. Her email address is abournonville@miningjournal.net.