A Placerville man is in jail on more than $1 million bail after he threatened to kill family members and Marshall Hospital personnel, forcing the hospital to briefly lock down on Wednesday, police said Thursday.
Delbert Adrian Stiefel, 44, apparently was distraught over his the condition of his wife, who had been admitted to the hospital, and the possibility that family members might blame him if she died.
The threats prompted hospital staff members to call 911 even though Stiefel had left the hospital.
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A group of Placerville police officers and El Dorado County Sheriff's deputies went to the man's home on Panning Way about 4:30 p.m. and arrested him without a struggle, said Capt. Mike Scott, Placerville police spokesman.
"Hospital staff took his threats seriously and we took them seriously," Scott said.
Stiefel is being held in El Dorado County Jail with bail set at $1 million on a charge of suspicion of making criminal threats and $50,000 on a felony charge of suspicion of illegal possession of an assault weapon. When officers searched the home, they found a Hi-Point 9 mm semi-automatic rifle with a pistol grip, Scott said.
He described a tense day that started about 7:30 a.m. when Stiefel's wife was brought to the hospital "in need of serious medical attention." He did not know the exact cause of her illness, but she was not a victim of domestic violence. Stiefel came and went several times during the day. He became very agitated during his last visit Wednesday afternoon.
"He was verbally combative, which is not unusual," said Don Davis, hospital spokesman.
But when Stiefel departed again, hospital supervisors determined that he had threatened personnel and called for a lockdown. The facility stayed in that mode for about 30 minutes until supervisors were informed of the man's arrest.
Although she was very ill Wednesday, Stiefel's wife had made good progress and she was listed in good condition Thursday, Davis said.
By David Richie - drichie@sacbee.com
Last Updated 1:20 pm PST Thursday, January 31, 2008
