Keith Waters, a 37-year-old Grand Rapids resident of Kent County, is accused of maintaining a sexual relationship with his underaged foster daughter. If convicted, he is facing the possibility of up to life in prison.
According to court documents, the alleged relationship lasted at least five months beginning on December 22, 2014 through May 1, 2015. However, from what Waters is alleged to have told his wife of 5 years, he can’t put a number on how often he and the girl were intimate.
In an interview with a Michigan news station, Ashley Breuker, best friend of Waters’ wife, revealed what her friend was going through. Breuker claims that when the allegations came to light, Waters showed no remorse and instead simply said that at least he no longer had to have that weighing on his mind. He is also alleged to have admitted that sex between them was unprotected and happened frequently.
His wife didn’t realize for a long time, until…
Breuker claims that Water’s wife was slow to suspect what was going on but began to wonder when there were repeated angry outbursts from her foster daughter whenever she showed any physical affection for Waters. The girl is said to have stormed out of the room and slammed doors during any display of affection between Waters and his wife. Our criminal defense team has encountered these cases many times over the decades.
Waters has been arrested and arraigned on first and second degree criminal sexual conduct charges involving a minor between the ages of 13 and 15. Due to the fact that Waters was convicted of felony charges of Maintaining a Drug House in 2000, he is being charged as a habitual offender, which means that his sentence could be longer if he is convicted on the CSC charges.
Under Michigan law, First Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct refers to penetration of the victim with additional aggravating circumstances. It is a felony punishable by up to life in prison. When a victim is less than 13 years old in a Michigan CSC case, state sentencing dictates a convicted sex offender will receive a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and a lifetime electronic monitoring. In addition, all sex offender convictions in our state require registration on the public sex offender registry.
Waters is currently being held in the Kent County Jail on a $500,000 bond. His next court date is scheduled for May 17, 2016 in Kent County District Court.