Aug. 30—TRAVERSE CITY — A Grand Traverse County commissioner arrested in a prostitution sting is set to be arraigned on two misdemeanor charges.
County board Vice Chair Brad Jewett, 54, is charged with engaging the services of a prostitute and using a computer to commit a crime, court records show. He’s set for arraignment on Sept. 3 before 86th District Court Chief Magistrate Tammi Rodgers.
That’s 75 days after a multi-agency investigation led to Jewett’s arrest along with two others, Scott Barrett, 61, and 21-year-old Clayton Hall, who were arraigned one and four days after their arrest, as previously reported.
Jewett is accused of soliciting prostitution through online advertising that was part of an undercover operation. While Barrett and Hall both faced charges involving minors, county officials previously said there’s no indication Jewett’s case involved children.
Messages for Jewett and his attorney, Paul Jarboe, were left Thursday.
Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg forwarded the case to the Michigan Attorney General’s office, a message for which was left Thursday.
Moeggenberg did so to avoid any possible conflict of interest. It’s the same reason why Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s deputies took Jewett to Leelanau County Jail at the time of his arrest — the department was one of several involved in the sting, and county commissioners oversee both the prosecutor’s and sheriff’s offices and their annual budgets.
Jewett left on a personal recognizance bond, and continues to serve on the county commission.
Kimberly Bush, the state Attorney General’s Office of Public Information and Education director, previously said the case against Jewett had been held up by technical issues.
Arraignments are typically brief hearings where a judge reads the charges against a defendant, informs them of their rights and asks how they plead, according to FindLaw. The defendant or their lawyer then enters a plea.
These hearings typically happen within a few days of an arrest, county Commissioner T.J. Andrews agreed. She’s also an attorney, although she noted she doesn’t practice criminal law.
Andrews previously said any delay in Jewett’s case could create the impression that some kind of influence was affecting the speed of the legal procedures.
On Thursday, Andrews said she’s giving the “benefit of the doubt” to everyone involved.
“We know there was a delay, that things didn’t reach their intended audiences, and I assume they were doing due diligence,” she said. “Honestly, I don’t think the delay is indicative of anything other than, the wheels of justice move slowly.”
Commissioner board Chairman Rob Hentschell, who previously said he’s seen similar delays before, said Thursday that he didn’t know the particulars and couldn’t comment.
“Like anyone else, (Jewett) deserves his day in court,” he said.
