Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
After deliberating for about an hour Wednesday, a jury found a Warsaw man guilty of false informing in the Biomet bomb threat case held in Kosciusko Circuit Court.
Keith Aaron Waites, 30, faces up to three years in prison when he is sentenced March 14. He also can be fined a maximum of $10,000.
After the verdict was read, Kosciusko County Prosecutor Charles Waggoner said the jury "did the right thing."
Although Waites testified that he didn't actually say he put plastic explosives in soda machines at Biomet, a man working with Waites at another job at Medtronic Sofamor Danek said he did. Waites did admit telling another Medtronic co-worker that he wasn't working at Biomet because "they caught me with explosives in my backpack."
Waites said the comments were made in jest, but Medtronic employees became concerned when they realized that Waites still worked at Biomet and was violating employee rules by also working at Medtronic. Several people took the threats seriously and approached their superiors, who in turn contacted both Biomet and police officials.
As a result of the information learned about Waites' comments, Biomet was evacuated May 1 during its second shift of operation. No explosives were found in the building.
Waites was arrested later that night and, after questioning, signed a confession to making the false report of bombs at Biomet. During testimony Tuesday, Waites claimed that the confession was not true and that he signed it only because he felt pressured and wanted to go home.
