Criminal charges against IRS security guard sent to mediation
Toledo OH Sept 25 2016 The criminal case against an IRS security guard who held a Lucas County Sheriff’s deputy at gunpoint has been sent to mediation.
Seth Eklund, 33, is charged with aggravated menacing after pointing his gun at Alan Gaston on May 31 while the deputy was visiting the Internal Revenue Service office. Mr. Gaston was on duty and in uniform but not on official business.
The case was scheduled for a pretrial hearing Tuesday in Toledo Municipal Court, but was ordered to mediation, which Eklund’s attorney, Anthony McGeorge, said he expected to be “fruitful.” Mr. Eklund has pleaded not guilty.
An attorney-only pretrial also has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 14.
Mr. Eklund told police he was adhering to federal law, which prohibits weapons in federal buildings unless for law enforcement purposes, when he asked Mr. Gaston to remove his gun. He later tried to detain the deputy for “violating my directives,” he told police in body worn camera video obtained by The Blade.
Mr. Gaston, 57, also has filed a lawsuit, claiming Mr. Eklund discriminated against him based on his race and that the encounter caused extreme distress which has prevented him from returning to work. Mr. Eklund’s employers, Paragon Systems Inc. and Praetorian Shield Inc., also are named in the lawsuit.
