Man arrested for making death threats against neighbors who barricaded his house

PHOENIX — A 73-year-old man was arrested after allegedly making death threats and barricading himself in his home Saturday night, authorities say.

The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office responded to several calls regarding threats in Diamond Valley by Virgil Neigel, the identified suspect.

The investigation revealed that Neigel had made death threats to a neighbor who lives in a nursing home next door to the suspect. Neigel was in his own residence and did not respond to the YCSO’s verbal request to come outside.

While attempting to arrest Neigel, authorities received a call from a person who had spoken to the suspect moments before. They reported that Neigel had said he would not go back to jail and would show violence if provoked by law enforcement. Officers then discovered that his house was barricaded.

After spending hours convincing the suspect to surrender, the YCSO obtained a search warrant and called a SWAT team to intervene. A SWAT team entered the premises and Prescott Valley Police also brought a sniffer dog, which spotted Neigel in a room behind a wall. The suspect was heavily intoxicated and an axe was lying on the floor next to his hand.

Authorities arrested Neigel and took him to a nearby hospital for medical evaluation, where he was treated for his intoxication and injuries sustained during the arrest.

He is arrested and charged with resisting state authority, disturbing the peace and threatening or intimidating.

The suspect’s criminal record shows that he is currently on probation for aggravated assault in November 2022 for pointing a gun at a neighbor and pulling the trigger. In the 1980s, Neigel was convicted of aggravated assault on a police officer.

Follow @KTAR923