Cases move forward in Charlevoix sex sting operation arrests
CHARLEVOIX — Of the four men arrested this summer for child sexual abuse activity in a sting operation led by the Charlevoix County Sheriff’s Department, two have made a plea deal with the Charlevoix Prosecuting Attorney's office, one is awaiting trial and one is being evaluated for psychiatric competency.
Jeff Skeel, 53, of Charlevoix and James Kaczmarek, 33, of Boyne Falls were both arrested in June for communicating with and arranging a meeting for the purposes of sexual activity with a law enforcement officer posing as a 15-year-old girl.
Skeel was apprehended after attempting to enter a Charlevoix hotel room where he thought he was going to receive oral sex for $100. Kaczmarek solicited implicit photographs of the "15-year-old" and sent photographs of his own face and genitals along with messages about intended sexual intercourse.
Both men made contact with the undercover sergeant electronically — Skeel through skipthegames.com, a website known to be "frequented by prostitutes and individuals seeking prostitutes," and Kaczmarek through an internet application called Kik.
Subscribe: Check out our offers and read the local news that matters to you
Skeel maintains his plea of not-guilty and is being represented by publicly appointed attorney Mike Corcoran in front of visiting 90th Circuit Court Judge Charles Hamlyn. As of publication, Skeel's trial is set for Jan. 29, 2024. Hamlyn has given him until Jan. 8 to enter a plea. There is an evidentiary hearing scheduled for Skeel on Jan. 8 at 2 p.m.
Kaczmarek pled guilty on Sept. 22 in front of Judge Roy Hayes to one count of distributing child sexually abusive activity. He is facing up to seven years in prison at his sentencing hearing scheduled at 9 a.m. on Nov. 10.
More: Two arrests made in Charlevoix County sting operation involving child sexual abuse
Mexican citizen Juan Carolos Gomez-Hernandez, 27, and Charlevoix resident Grant Newcomb, 35, were arrested in July under similar circumstances as part of the second phase in the sheriff's undercover sting operation.
Gomez-Hernandez had an electronic conversation initiated through skipthegames.com where he made an agreement to meet a "15-year-old girl" at his house for sexual acts. Newcomb made contact with the undercover sergeant via Grindr and was arrested when he knocked on a hotel room door at the Charlevoix Inn and Suites.
Via a translator in Judge Hayes' courtroom on Sept. 21, Gomez-Hernandez entered a guilty plea for attempted criminal sexual conduct in the third degree. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 10 and faces up to five years in prison, after which he will be deported.
More: Charlevoix sheriff's department makes arrests in human trafficking sting operation
Newcomb has not been bound over to Circuit Court yet and, upon orders from District Court Judge Angela Lasher, is being evaluated by the Center for Forensic Psychiatry for competency to stand trial. The evaluation seeks to determine whether Newcomb is able to understand the nature and the object of the court proceedings and can assist his lawyer in his own defense, according to Charlevoix County Prosecuting Attorney Kit Tholen.
If he is found incompetent, he will be petitioned for treatment at a psychiatric facility with a plan to to restore competency. If he is unable to reach competency, Newcomb would remain in the facility, according to Tholen.
— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Cases move forward in Charlevoix sex sting operation arrests
