Bond set for passenger who admitted concealed weapon

COLUMBUS - A judge yesterday scolded a man who boarded a US Airways plane with a hunting knife in his belt and called a radio talk show host, telling listeners - and authorities - what he had done.

Bond was set at $500,000 for Robert Hedrick, 37, of nearby Delaware. He was arrested Wednesday night at Port Columbus International Airport and charged with a felony of carrying a concealed weapon. Conviction carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

"This is not a time to be seeking publicity, Mr. Hedrick," Judge W. Dwayne Maynard, said during Hedrick's arraignment in Franklin County Municipal Court.

Wearing handcuffs and khaki prison clothes, Hedrick slouched against a wall in the courtroom, holding a manila file folder in front of his face. He made no statements during the court appearance, but conferred briefly with a court-appointed attorney before returning to Franklin County Jail.

Airport police officer Troy Mills told Maynard that Hedrick cooperated with authorities and that he called Columbus radio station WTVN twice seeking advice on what to do. The buckle of Hedrick's belt, Mills said, was actually a sheath that hid a five-inch hunting knife with a three-inch blade.

According to police reports, Hedrick told authorities that he passed through the checkpoint and didn't remember that he was wearing the belt until he was in the restroom.