Husband Threatens to Kill Wife, Blow Up Home: Midlothian Police Blotter

Charles E. Zohfeld, 60, of the 15200 block of S. Millard Avenue, was charged with domestic assault, criminal damage to property and interference with a public utility, after threatening to kill his wife and blow up their home on Sunday, Dec. 9.

Police were called to the home in the 15200 block of S. Millard Avenue after Zohfeld's wife smelled gas in the home, and reported the incident to police.

At the home, police spoke with the victim, who told officers that she returned home at about 1 p.m. from the grocery store to find Zohfeld coming out of the home's crawl space. When the victim asked Zohfeld what he was doing, he responded by yelling, “It's none of your [expletive] business! I'm going to blow up this house, kill you and get the insurance money!” Zohfeld then walked out of the home and drove off.

The victim then began to notice the smell of gas in the home, and called NICOR to investigate the possible leak. A NICOR technician found a gas leak inside the furnace of the home, which is located in the crawl space. The technician turned off the gas and advised the victim she would need a private plumber to come to the home and pressure-check all of the gas lines before the company would turn the gas back on.

The victim told officers that she wished to sign a complaint against Zohfeld, and officers instructed her to come to the Midlothain Police Department to finalize the paper work.

Police arrest Zofeld later that day.

Police Blotter information is provided by the Midlothian Police Department. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.