Judge halts parole, for now, of man convicted in '93 Livingston County rape

A Livingston County judge ruled Thursday that a convicted rapist paroled by state officials must remain in prison until an appeal hearing can be conducted.

Circuit Court Judge Suzanne Geddis ruled in favor of an emergency application for an appeal of the Michigan Parole Board's decision to release Floyd Sanford Jarvi Jr., 63, and barred Michigan Department of Corrections officials from releasing him.

Jarvi, who was sentenced to up to more than 60 years in prison in 1994, was slated for release Dec. 20. He currently is being held at the Cooper Street Facility in Jackson, which is a release point for parolees.

In the courtroom Thursday afternoon, Assistant Attorney General John Pallas emphasized to Geddis the need for Jarvi to stay behind bars at least until his hearing because of his behavior toward women.

In a psychological examination earlier this year, it was suspected that he was "holding back," Pallas told Geddis. In the examination, Jarvi said he was trying to keep himself from saying anything derogatory toward women.

"His hostility toward women is very, very concerning and has even been noted by the parole board as recently as 2021," Pallas said. He shared several previous statements by Jarvi where he used derogatory terms to describe women, including that he thought some women might like to be raped.

The parole board voted in October to release Jarvi after 28 years behind bars. Attorney General Dana Nessel's office requested a stay of that decision in Livingston County Circuit Court Tuesday so the board's decision can be appealed before Jarvi is released.

"It is evident that Jarvi still harbors dangerous attitudes concerning women and rape and remains a threat to our state,” Nessel said in a statement Tuesday. “The parole board clearly abused its discretion when it decided to parole Jarvi. The facts underlying Jarvi’s convictions which led to his incarceration are horrendous and nightmarish.”

After Thursday's hearing, Nessel posted to Twitter: "We're are grateful that Judge Geddis acted quickly in the interest of public safety. The facts of this case demonstrate that Jarvi has failed to accept responsibility for his crimes and lacks remorse and as such should remain in custody. We look forward to presenting the facts of the case before the circuit court."

Her office requested the stay of Jarvi's release after Livingston County Prosecutor David Reader's office didn't appeal the parole board's decision, despite a request from the Brighton woman Jarvi raped.

It's not clear why Reader's office didn't appeal the board's decision. Reader has not responded to a request for comment from the Livingston Daily Press & Argus left Wednesday.

Jarvi's victim, Wendy Jo Morrison, told the Livingston Daily Wednesday that Reader's office did not file the necessary paperwork to appeal the parole board's decision before Nessel's filed the request in Livingston County. She called the decision by Reader's office "gross negligence."

Morrison told the Livingston Daily Press & Argus in 2018 that she had attended every parole hearing, calling it "the most terrible thing I have to do, every year."

Morrison said at the time that she used the traumatic event as a way of reaching out and helping others. The executive director of UBU Today in Brighton has the story of her rape when she was 19 publicly and was awarded the Governor's Volunteer of the Year Award in 2018 for her efforts in helping others.

Jarvi was charged in 1993, according to MDOC records, with raping Morrison as she was returning to Brighton from Novi from her waitressing position.

Jarvi pleaded no contest and was sentenced in July 1994 to up to 60 years in prison in connection with numerous charges, including five counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct using a weapon and one of first-degree CSC with intent to commit penetration.

In addition to five CSC charges which carried concurrent 23- to 60-year terms, he also pleaded no contest to CSC-1 (6 to 10 years), kidnapping (23 to 50), seven counts of possession of a firearm in commission of a felony (2), armed robbery (23-50), two counts of resisting and obstructing an officer (2) and carrying a concealed weapon (2).

The CSC, kidnapping and robbery sentences were to be served concurrently after the two-year weapons charges were completed.

Forced off the road

According to court records, on Aug. 14, 1993, Morrison was driving home about 12:30 a.m. from a waitressing job at Grady's Restaurant at the Novi Mall.

A vehicle followed her onto Pleasant Valley Road and then forced her vehicle off the road. Once stopped, Jarvi approached her vehicle, pointed a gun at her and forced her to get into his pickup truck.

He forced her to get undressed, held the gun to her head and then forced her to take part in sexual acts inside the vehicle.

He eventually drove her back to her vehicle where he stole her purse and wallet.

He drove to her home where her sister was alone and threatened to assault her as well.

Meanwhile an acquaintance had called police to express worry about Morrison's safety because she had not yet arrived home. They told police they were driving to her home.

After Jarvi drove to her home, but before arriving on foot, the acquaintance's car drove up and he fled. Morrison ran to a nearby barn where she used a phone to call 911 and report the crime.

Meanwhile, her car was located and state troopers investigated. As they stood near the car, Jarvi drove past. Officers pursued him, making a stop a short distance away.

Jarvi was ordered out of his truck and refused. It took four officers to subdue him.

'Psychopathic tendencies

In previous reviews, the AG's Dec. 13 filing says, the parole board found that it "lacks reasonable assurance that the prisoner will not become a menace to society or to the public safety and denial of parole is warranted ....”

While one assessment suggested he was a reasonable risk for parole, another assessment ID'd Jarvi as a high risk for sexual recidivism.

According to the AG filing, another report noted, "During the interview, Mr. Jarvi did not express any significant level of remorse. He mentioned his victim, but did not seem to empathize with her experience to the extent that his actions had been so heinous. He made references to some women might like to be raped, and he “tried to rape his victim.” This clearly suggested a distorted perception of women and minimization of his crime."

The AG filing also pointed to "psychopathic" tendencies.

In addition, the AG points to comments Jarvi made about a "first rape" in high school and that he admitted committing "at least" three rapes or attempted rapes prior to the case that landed him in prison.

The filing quotes a Sept. 19 sex offender risk assessment in which Jarvi admitted being intoxicated at the time of the crime, but he quit attending alcohol abuse classes.

It further states Jarvi claimed his victim resembled a woman who allegedly falsely accused him of rape and notes, "It is very concerning that Jarvi’s reaction to allegedly being falsely accused of rape is to go out and rape another woman who looked like his accuser."

He also admitted being abusive toward a woman he dated for 10 years.

The AG noted it was less than a month after the report was completed that, on Oct. 21, 2022, the parole board granted release in the case.

The AG filing finally states that while Jarvi received a score of plus-10 — indicating he should be paroled — he had received such marks before and the board had denied him release from 2014 to 2021 because of many of the considerations outlined.

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Judge halts parole, for now, of man convicted in '93 Livingston County rape