Gainesville, Florida – An armed disturbance during an appliance service call Wednesday evening led to the arrest of a 79-year-old Alachua County man, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to a residence in the 5000 block of NE 211th Drive on Wednesday after two appliance repair workers reported being threatened with a firearm while on a service call.
Deputies said the workers had arrived at the home of Edward Spiegel, 79, to repair a washing machine. Spiegel allegedly told the workers he was having a bad day and was armed with a gun, which he reportedly showed to them during the visit.
While the workers were performing the repair, Spiegel allegedly placed the gun on top of the washing machine. When the workers attempted to leave the residence, Spiegel allegedly threatened them, picked up the firearm, and pointed it at them, deputies said.
The workers were later able to leave the home and contacted law enforcement. Investigators said one of the victims recorded part of the incident on a cellphone, and the video was shown to deputies as part of the investigation.
Deputies made contact with Spiegel at the residence, and he was taken into custody without further incident, according to the sheriff’s office.
Spiegel was charged with two counts of false imprisonment, two counts of kidnapping to commit or facilitate commission of a felony, and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. The allegations have not yet been tested in court.
No injuries were reported.
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
This incident may be of particular relevance to service workers and residents who schedule in-home repairs.
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