Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette Nicholas Daavettila, 97th District Court Judge, is requesting the Boards of Baraga, Houghton and Keweenaw counties to partner with Marquette Regional Community Corrections.

KEWEENAW COUNTY – Nicholas Daavettila, 97th District Court Judge, spoke to the Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners at its regular May meeting last Wednesday, lending his support to the county joining with Marquette Regional Community Corrections (MRCC).

“I’m here tonight with Trevor Kadlec,” Daavettila said. “He’s with the MRCC. He made a presentation to the Houghton County Board.” Daavettila said he is proposing Houghton, Keweenaw and Baraga counties partner with the MRCC.

“One thing I have always lacked as a District Court judge is the ability to to really, appropriately, monitor folks who have been arrested for a crime, and then bonded out at arraignments,” he said.

Bond conditions can include no contact orders, restrictions from drugs and alcohol, etc. but there is not an effective method for the court to monitor if those on bond are complying with court orders until a subsequent time he sees them at court hearings.

“Patterning with MRCC, we’d be in a position to have what I’ve always been looking for,” said Daavettila, “and I know Judge (Brittany) Bulleit, with Circuit Court, has been looking for as well: a pretrial services officer, basically.”

Daavettila said what is needed, Step One, is such a person to assess people who have been arrested, to determine whether there are any services that can be provided to them, or what level of supervision they require, then make recommendations to the court as to bond amounts and bond conditions.

“Step Two, would be monitoring of those individuals while they’re on bond with the court,” he said. “Through (electronic) tethering or drug testing, MRCC would provide that service at basically no charge.”

The 97th District Court is a trial court serving Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw Counties. The court operates with three judges and handles misdemeanor criminal offenses, civil infractions, traffic violations, small claims disputes, and landlord-tenant matters.

Community service is frequently ordered by the District Court as part of sentencing for misdemeanor offenses. With its caseload, the court processes community service requirements across Baraga, Houghton, and Keweenaw Counties. Common situations where community service is ordered include first-time misdemeanor offenses, traffic violations, disorderly conduct, and cases eligible for diversion programs.

Daavettila echoed what Kadlec had told the Houghton County Board last week — the only commitment from each county would be a Board member to sit on the MRCC Advisory Board.

Daavettila said he usually takes the approach that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

“But I’ve looked at this (program) pretty closely and it’s a pretty good scenario for the counties in terms of providing a level of service to the courts, the prosecutor and the jails, in terms of management of our pretrial and post-conviction defendants,” he said.

Daavettila went on to say that once defendants have completed the adjudication phase of the court process, MRCC would provide a number services, through the partnership, for which the courts currently do not have funding or access. Among those services is TRICAP, a Saginaw-based inpatient treatment facility offering methamphetamine-specific programs, ranging from 90 to 150 days.

The Board tabled any action on the matter until June, allowing time to gather more details on the program and any funding.

Board Vice Chair Del Rajala said he was on the Board of the now defunct Tri-County Corrections Program, which was not nearly as extensive as the MRCC. “This sounds more aggressive and far more, I think, better than what was out there,” Rajala said. “but, there is no such thing as a free puppy.”