Plea deal off in “spy pen” case

Aldrin Jayson Nicolas, 26, heads into Superior Court Thursday in Santa Cruz. (Photo by Tarmo Hannula).

WATSONVILLE — The suspect who used a “spy pen” to photograph teen girls undressing at a camp at Pajaro Dunes in March made a court appearance Thursday to plead guilty. However, the deal fell apart at the last minute.

Aldrin Jayson Nicolas, 26, who is out on a $10,000 bail, was in Superior Court with defense attorney Mary Con.

“We decided we could not do what we intended to do,” said Con. Thus, the case now moves closer to a trial.

An arraignment has been set for Aug. 31.

Nicolas was a Salinas music teacher at the time of his arrest. He turned himself in to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office once he learned he was being investigated for production of child pornography, said deputy April Skalland.

Nicolas was working as a teacher for the Vivace Youth Group in San Jose when the youth group went on a weekend trip to Pajaro Dunes in March. Nicolas was reportedly using a “spy pen,” a pen-size video camera, to record seven teenage girls, ages 13-17, undressing in the vacation rental bathroom, Skalland said.

At one point during the visit the teens found the spy pen in the girl’s bathroom, Skalland said. After further investigation, detectives found that Nicolas had allegedly placed the camera in the bathroom to produce videos of female juveniles undressing.

Vivace Youth Group has suspended Nicolas from his employment, Skalland said.

Salinas High School, where Nicolas also worked as a choir director, also placed him on administrative leave.

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