Authorities have arrested a Michigan man they say was engaged in an extramarital affair and faked a home invasion after attempting to kill his wife.
Gregory Allen Ringel, a 57-year-old Casco Township resident, has been “charged with assault with intent to murder, firearm discharge in a building, false report of a felony and two felony firearm violations,” WDIV-TV reported.
On March 29, just after 3:00 a.m., deputies with the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office (SCCSO) were called to a residence in the 4000 block of Palms Road in Casco Township for a reported home invasion, the Port Huron Times Herald reported, citing an SCCSO press release. Authorities said it was Ringel who reported the incident, WDIV-TV noted.
Ringel, who law enforcement said had been engaging in an affair with a former co-worker from another state, allegedly told authorities that a home intruder wielding a shotgun accessed the residence via the garage and subsequently knocked over a steel tumbler in the kitchen, the outlet noted. Ringel added that the noise awoke his wife, who then left her bed to investigate the noise, law enforcement said.
“Ringel’s story was that his wife had been met at the doorway with a shotgun barrel as the armed person was entering her room, officials said,” according to WDIV-TV.
The 57-year-old said that the intruder fired a shot that missed his wife, causing her to close the bedroom door on the shotgun barrel, preventing the gunman from accessing the room, according to law enforcement.
Ringel allegedly told authorities he awoke in another room, grabbed his handgun, and shot at a shadowy figure, WDIV-TV reports. He allegedly claimed while speaking to law enforcement that after checking on his wife, he exited his garage and searched for the suspect before reporting the incident.
The Port Huron Times Herald reported:
Deputies were near the area at the time of the incident and quickly responded, but they did not see any suspect vehicle fleeing the area in any direction. The investigation confirmed the shotgun blast and home owner’s gunshot, but continued investigation revealed inconsistencies in the residents’ stories, the sheriff department said.
Authorities said they learned of Ringel’s affair, and that during a subsequent interview he admitted to fabricating the home intruder story, the outlet reported:
During a follow-up interview, police said Ringel confessed that the home invasion was made up and he used a shotgun with the intent to enter the bedroom and shoot his wife. She was awakened by a noise he made while walking through the kitchen and she met him at the door, where he shot at her as she opened the door.
She could not see who was behind the shotgun barrel, and Ringel rushed to hide the weapon while grabbing his pistol and firing a shot in an attempt to cover up his actions, authorities said.
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