Man Accused Of Making Threats While Holding Gun
Staff Report
WARSAW — A Warsaw man was recently arrested after allegedly making threats while in possession of a firearm.
Brian Lee Kern Jr., 20, 603 Biscayne Ave., Warsaw, is charged with intimidation with a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony; and carrying a handgun without a license, a class A misdemeanor.
On April 17, a Warsaw Police officer responded to a fight in progress involving a handgun. The officer made contact with a woman wearing a black jacket and ripped jeans at the scene. The woman was speaking with the officer when assisting officers advised that a woman with a black jacket and ripped jeans was the last person seen with the firearm.
The officer secured the woman and found she was not in possession of a handgun. The woman said she did not have the gun and that it was in a home in Warsaw. An individual at the home consented to the residence being searched.
According to court documents, upon searching the home, officers found drug paraphernalia, vape cartridges, two airsoft guns, and a handgun hidden in the ceiling.
Officers then spoke with the residents who said they had video surveillance footage of part of the incident. The footage showed Kern handing an object to the woman wearing a black jacket; the woman then ran west down an alley.
One of the officers spoke with a woman who was involved in the altercation. The woman said when she went outside to speak with Kern, he had a gun in his hand. When she asked Kern what he was going to do with the gun, someone yelled they were calling the cops. She said Kern gave the gun to a girl and everyone at the scene left. The woman said the gun was pointed at the ground, but that Kern was making statements like “Who wants some” and “Let’s do this.”
Kern agreed to speak with law enforcement about the incident. He said there was an earlier altercation where one of his friends was punched. Kern told officers he knew both parties who were involved in the altercation. He said the firearm was originally in the possession of one of his friends, who brought the gun and had it in his pocket.
When the friend allegedly made some references to using the firearm, Kern took possession of the gun. He admitted to holding the gun and pointing it at the ground while involved in the argument.
Kern was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on April 17, with a $10,250 surety and cash bond.