A Weirsdale man who was seen swinging a sword in his neighbor’s yard was arrested for allegedly battering and holding a gun to his wife.
A call was received from a Weirsdale resident stating that their neighbor, later identified as 67-year-old Edward George Wise, was in their yard swinging around a sword and saying he was seeing people at about 8:25 a.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. He had similar incidents in the past that were determined to be hallucinations from cocaine usage.
Deputies arrived on scene to find Wise walking toward the road with the sword laid on the ground. Due to the possibility of weapons, he was asked if he had any, the report said.
Wise advised he had no weapons and that he was a convicted felon. He stated people were after him, and he was seeing snakes and men inside his home. His wife was home alone, so deputies met with her there for a wellbeing check, the report said.
Wise’s wife, the victim, stated he had been acting out since about Sunday. They got into an argument when she tried going to bed the night before, and Wise punched her in the chest during an outburst. He began breaking many items in the residence, leaving the living room in disarray. Broken glass was observed all over the floor throughout the home, the report said.
The victim continued saying she tried to get Wise help, but he kept using narcotics. On Monday, he placed a black gun to her head and threatened to kill her. She feared that he would shoot her and had been living in fear of him, the report said.
Wise was ultimately handcuffed and walked toward a patrol car. Without being questioned about any incident so far, he stated that he knew “what the handcuffs mean” and that he “was going to prison.” He was asked why he would go to prison, and he responded it was because he had “some guns in the house,” the report said.
The victim described the gun as a black handgun with a “slide that you pull back.” The last place she knew Wise had it was in her underwear drawer. She gave deputies permission to search her bedroom where they found a black Keltic PMR-30 22 magnum pistol under the mattress. Wise’s belongings were on the same side of the bed as the pistol, and it was confirmed by the victim that he slept on that side of the bed, the report said.
The victim stated that she knew Wise was a convicted felon who should not possess firearms. He told her that she needed to claim it if anyone ever asked who it belonged to, the report said.
Additionally, a criminal history check confirmed Wise was a convicted felon with prior battery convictions, making the simple battery charge a felony, the report said.
Wise was arrested on charges of felony battery (domestic), aggravated assault with deadly weapon without intent to kill and possession of weapon or ammo by convicted felon. He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $17,000 bond.
