Water Plant Operator Sent to Federal Prison for False Report

A former water plant operator will spend two months in federal prison for lying about an attempted break-in at the Jasper Water Treatment Plant in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Mark Christopher Ostyn, 24, pleaded guilty last Wednesday to one count of making a false statement to law enforcement.

At the sentencing hearing two days later, U.S. District Judge Jerry Buchmeyer said Ostyn was eligible for probation but that the seriousness of the crime warranted a prison term, considering today's heightened awareness of terrorism.

Ostyn worked the late-night shift and was responsible for checking various water samples every hour.

Ostyn called police Sept. 18, saying three men in black clothing and ski masks were trying to crawl under a fence surrounding the Wichita Falls plant. He later said he threw a crowbar at the fence, and all three ran away.

His call spawned a massive search by police, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, federal Army bomb units and FBI agents. Two days later, Ostyn told FBI agents he had lied.

Source: The Associated Press