Man pleads guilty to recording children using his home bathroom in Plymouth
Jason Kaat
PLYMOUTH -- A Plymouth man accused of recording children using his home bathroom has reached a plea deal in the case against him.
44-year-old Jason Kaat on Thursday, September 14th pleaded guilty to one count of capturing an intimate representation, victim less than 18 years old. A second charge was dismissed as a result of the plea deal.
Kaat will be sentenced on October 18th.
It didn't take long for these accusations to shock the community, as this man was extremely well-known due to his volunteer work and involvement with a church in the area. FOX6 News spoke with a piano teacher who said she was horrified when she learned of the allegations against Kaat.
Prosecutors says Kaat recorded an eight-year-old girl and her five-year-old brother using the restroom inside his home where they took piano lessons.
According to a criminal complaint, the children went to the second floor of the house while their mother waited downstairs, but Kaat told them to wait because he "needed to clean the bathroom." After they used the restroom, the eight-year-old "saw flowers on the back of the toilet" and noticed an iPhone recording. The children immediately informed their mother.
Louise Mann
Louise Mann teaches piano in Plymouth, and said she doesn't know Kaat personally, but has a friend who was close to the family while Kaat worked as the director of children and youth ministries at Redeemer Lutheran Church.
"She knows the family well. She was just saying how the children and the mom are special people and that she is really sad for everybody in this situation," Mann said.
Kaat stopped working there six years ago, but he remained heavily involved in youth organizations both locally and nationwide.
During his statement to police, Kaat admitted to putting the iPhone in the flowers, but said he later deleted the video.
As a passionate music instructor, Mann said she hopes the incident won't deter the children from continuing with their music education.
"I hope they will continue in music in whatever way, because we all need music," Mann said.