Tavaris Lee Jackson

ESCANABA — An Escanaba man facing a murder trial next year was sentenced to 12 months in jail on charges in a separate case on Monday.

Tavaris Lee Jackson, who is awaiting trial for the murder of 22-year-old Harley Corwin, was in the 47th Circuit Court before Judge John Economopoulos for two counts of failure to comply with the Sex Offenders Registration Act (SORA). According to the charges, Jackson is a habitual offender, receiving his fourth offense notice. The registration applies to Jackson’s vehicles, which Jackson failed to register, as required under SORA.

According to court documents, the charges were filed in June of 2023.

Prosecuting Attorney and Assistant Attorney General for the State of Michigan Shawn Ryan asked the court for the maximum sentence for the charges, which is 46 months to 15 years in prison.

Ryan cited his past violations as grounds for a lengthier sentence, saying Jackson consistently violated probation guidelines and court orders in the past. She also noted the pending homicide trial for Jackson.

“Your Honor, certainly the defendant’s criminal history and actions have earned him a sentence at the high end of the guideline, and the People would respectfully request again that you sentence him to 46 months to 15 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections,” Ryan said.

Defense Attorney Diane Kay-Hougaboom responded and asked the court not to consider any pending charges when imposing a sentence.

She argued that Jackson was not intentionally attempting to avoid registering.

“This wasn’t an issue of somebody trying to trying to skip out on registry and not be known. He just had not followed the letter of the law in regards to the vehicles; if we look at these charges for what they are and the conduct as for what they are, I certainly think that a 12-month sentence is appropriate for those matters,” Kay-Hougaboom said.

She asked that the court sentence be based on the Michigan Department of Corrections recommendation of 12 months.

Economopoulos agreed with Kay-Hougaboom’s argument, saying the failure to register does not appear to have been an effort to avoid or evade the registry’s responsibilities.

“The Michigan Department of Corrections, in their wisdom in rendering a recommendation of 12 months sentence, created a proper balance of these variables, the court would happen to agree,” Economopoulos said.

Jackson was ultimately sentenced to 12 months in jail for each offense, with credit for 456 days already served. He was also ordered to pay $766 in fines and fees. The sentences for each charge will be served concurrently.

On the same day as the sentencing for Jackson regarding SORA violations, the Michigan State Court of Appeals granted a motion for leave to appeal from Kay-Hougaboom regarding the separate homicide case.

The motion means that the Appeals Court will hear an appeal from Kay-Hougaboom about evidence in the pending murder trial.

The trial was rescheduled to Jan. 13 to allow the Appellate Court adequate time to review the motion.

Following the Appellate Courts’s decision to review the appeal, the trial date for Jan. 13 was canceled. It will be rescheduled at a later date.

The appeal stems from the court’s decision not to allow former Delta County Sergeant Tom Lewis’s actions and those of a potential witness to be admissible in court.

According to information presented in open court, the off-duty sergeant was too drunk to drive when a female witness contacted him about Corwin’s murder. He invited the witness to his home, gave her alcohol, repeatedly told her “you’d better not hold out on me,” and suggested he would “get her in trouble regarding” cocaine use if she did not cooperate with him.

He was given a two-day suspension from the Delta County Sheriff’s Office.

Lewis became a focal point in preliminary hearings, ultimately resulting in the defense’s motion to stay, which delayed the trial.

Lewis is no longer with the department as his last day was October 31.

He retired after 25 years of service.