On May 31, 2019, Seth Eklund was working as a security officer at a Toledo IRS office when , a Lucas County Sheriff’s Deputy, entered in full uniform to ask a personal question.
: Eklund informed the deputy that the office had a "no-firearms" policy and requested he leave his service weapon in his vehicle. seth eklund gofundme updated
: When Gaston refused, citing his inability to leave a service weapon unattended, Eklund drew his firearm. Surveillance footage captured Eklund pointing the gun at Gaston’s back as the deputy attempted to leave and eventually trying to take him into custody at an elevator. On May 31, 2019, Seth Eklund was working
: Eklund's defense maintained he was adhering to federal law regarding weapons in federal buildings. Conversely, Gaston’s representatives argued that Eklund’s actions were an unlawful attempt to detain a law enforcement officer who was already attempting to depart. Court Rulings and Sentencing The legal case reached its conclusion in February 2020: Surveillance footage captured Eklund pointing the gun at
: He was sentenced to a suspended six-month term at the Correction Center of Northwest Ohio and one year of active probation .
While a was launched by supporters to assist Eklund with legal fees and lost income following his termination, many similar campaigns for this specific case are now inactive or closed. Current searches for "Seth Eklund GoFundMe updated" sometimes yield unrelated campaigns for individuals with the same name, such as a 2025 fundraiser for a program called the "18 Inch Journey".