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Judge denies bond modification in animal cruelty case

By Sophie Vogelmann 5 min read

ESCANABA -- One of three animal cruelty cases involving Cornell residents was heard in court Monday morning after the defendant requested a bond modification.

Nichole Jarvey appeared in the Delta County 47th Circuit Court for the first time Monday after her case was bound over from the 94th District Court in September.

Jarvey -- as well as her two co-defendants, Kruzz and Brianna Makosky -- faces eight counts of abandoning or cruelty to one animal resulting in the animal's death and one count of abandoning or cruelty to 25 or more animals.

Cameron Nebel, Jarvey's attorney, recently filed a request to modify Jarvey's bond conditions, specifically requesting the no-contact order between Jarvey and her partner, Robert Hildebrant, be lifted.

According to statements made in court, both the defense and prosecution recently submitted their potential witness lists to the court. Nebel told 47th Circuit Court Judge John Economopoulos that, seeing as Hildebrant had been removed from the prosecution's potential witness list, he believed Jarvey deserved to be able to communicate with her partner.

"I believe that Mr. Hildebrandt is an important supporter for Ms. Jarvey as she continues to navigate not only this situation, but her personal health situation. That is the purpose of the request," Nebel said.

Delta County Prosecuting Attorney Lauren Wickman told the court that Hildebrant being omitted from the potential witness list was a mistake, and the omission was deemed a clerical error.

"I would be intending to call Mr. Hildebrandt on any trial that might come from this," Wickman said. "He was living on the property. He is a necessary witness to our case, and for that reason, I’d be asking the court to deny this motion."

Additionally, Wickman said Monday that at the time of the hearing in September, it was her understanding that Hildebrant still had animals at the Cornell residence where all three defendants previously resided before being prohibited from entering the property.

Wickman also said Jarvey's bond condition prohibiting her from caring for or possessing any animals would need to be rectified before any modification could be made to the no-contact order.

Nebel told Economopoulos he was not anticipating Wickman's statements on Hildebrant accidentally being omitted from the list, adding he had not received an amended witness list yet.

"Obviously, Ms. Jarvey is prevented from having care or ownership of animals during her bond - under her bond conditions. But at this stage, that’s not something that is required for her to have contact with Mr. Hildebrandt. They can have contact anywhere outside of the home if that no-contact (order) is lifted," Nebel said.

Although Nebel raised the possibility of prohibiting Jarvey and Hildebrant from discussing the case if the no-contact order were lifted, Wickman opposed the proposal.

"There's no way for this court to oversee that type of condition and, therefore, enforce that provision," Wickman said. "And in terms of animals, I think it's too hard to believe that the defendant would not go back to that property where there are animals."

Wickman further said the property "is not a residence situation" but is rather "more of a camper, trailer situation," pointing to the close proximity of the animals with inhabitants on the property.

Also on Monday, Wickman told the court she anticipates a large part of Jarvey's defense will be that the allegedly abused animals in the case were owned by other people on the property.

"Mr. Hildebrant’s observations of who owned and provided care for the animals that are issued with the charges -- not the other animals, but the animals that are issued with the charges -- would be relevant and important to the people’s case," Wickman added. "With the continued contact, there could be some communication that would be regarding the case in such a way that would impact the people’s ability to present fair and proper information to the jury in the fact finder."

Economopoulos denied Nebel's request to modify Jarvey's bond conditions, noting that prohibiting Jarvey and Hildebrant from discussing the case if the no-contact order was lifted would be a difficult provision to enforce.

A future court date for Jarvey has yet to be scheduled.

The charges Jarvey, Kruzz and Brianna face stem from alleged offenses reported to have occurred between Dec. 1, 2025, and Feb. 3, 2026, when the three Cornell residents allegedly neglected over two dozen animals on their property.

On Feb. 4, the Michigan State Police Gladstone Post executed a search warrant at the co-defendants’ residence on County Road 426 in Cornell Township, where troopers found several deceased animals — including cats, rabbits, pigs and goats — and others in poor health.

According to the Delta Animal Shelter, 13 cats, 12 rabbits and one sheep were seized and transported to its facility in Escanaba, where they have remained under a police hold.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.

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