MONROE, Mich. – A former Monroe County judge who pleaded guilty earlier this year to felony charges connected to a prostitution case was sentenced to 1 to 5 years in prison.
Michigan State Police troopers uncovered evidence that Judge Jarod Calkins was having women meet him at a hotel to engage in sexual activity for money. Calkins, 41, of Carleton, originally was charged with four counts of hiring women for the purpose of prostitution and one count of transporting a person for the purpose of prostitution.
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He resigned from the Monroe County First District Court in June and pleaded guilty to four felony counts of misconduct in office. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, police said.
Originally, Calkins could have faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the prostitution charges, which were dropped as part of the plea deal.
"Public officials must be held to a higher standard, and I will continue to work with law enforcement to ensure that we hold accountable anyone who violates the public trust," Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said. "I applaud the work done by the Michigan State Police and my Public Integrity Unit, who put a stop to activities that violate the public trust."
Calkins was elected to the Michigan First Judicial District Court on Nov. 4, 2014. His term would have expired on Dec. 31, 2020.
Under the terms of his sentencing, he is ordered to spend 1-5 years in prison and also complete a sex offender treatment program offered by the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Graphic statements made during sentencing hearing
During Calkins' sentencing on Thursday, impact statements from several victims were read in court. The statements depicted a repeating scenario in which Calkins met young women through social media or dating websites and asked them to engage in a sexual relationship with him.
The victims said they were led to believe they were going to be involved with Calkins sexually but did not know it would include abusive activity. They said they believed Calkins wanted to engage in playful sexual experiments, not beatings.
Calkins allegedly met with several young women, some of them repeatedly, and engaged in sexually abusive activities. The victims said he often offered them gifts or left money for them after their meetings.
Calkins offered a lengthy statement in court before his sentencing, during which he said he was in a "dark place" when the events occurred.
"Whether people want to to think of this as a victimless crime or not ... it may have started as a 'victimless crime' ... but we're not there at this point," said Judge Archie Brown.
Brown said he thought about what the sentencing would be if Calkins were not a judge and he decided it would not be any different. However, he said he couldn't understand why someone in Calkins' position would work to "sully" and "totally ruin" his own reputation like this.