Nathaniel Baird arrived at Reba Wilson's Indianapolis home expecting to diagnose a malfunctioning dryer. He never imagined the $70 service call would put his life in danger.
Wilson, 45, refused to pay the standard house-call fee after Baird determined her clothes dryer was not heating properly, according to court records and reporting by WTHR. When Baird explained he could not work for free, Wilson pulled a gun on him inside her home.
Baird told WTHR that Wilson pointed the firearm at his chest and blocked the front door, forcing him to remain at the residence. "You're going to fix my dryer," she demanded, according to investigators.
Baird pretended to resume work before bolting toward the back door. As he fled for his life, Wilson fired a shot in his direction while shouting words that would later haunt courtroom proceedings: "You're lucky I don't kill you."
Background
The confrontation unfolded at Wilson's Indianapolis residence in March 2024. Baird, a self-employed appliance repair technician, had been called to the home to assess why the dryer was not heating.
After Wilson refused payment and claimed the appliance remained under warranty, Baird prepared to leave. That decision triggered the violent encounter that would ultimately send Wilson to prison for a decade.
Baird escaped to his truck and called 911. Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the home, recovering a black and silver Smith & Wesson handgun hidden beneath a couch cushion. A spent shell casing was found resting atop a broken dryer door in the kitchen, according to WRTV and WISH reporting.
When officers arrived at her residence, Wilson initially denied that anything unusual had occurred.
The Charges
Marion County Superior Judge Charles F. Miller on Monday sentenced Wilson to serve 10 years in a state correctional facility after she pleaded guilty to one count each of intimidation with the use of a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.
In exchange for her plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss charges of criminal confinement, criminal recklessness, and pointing a firearm at another person.
The judge denied Wilson's request for home detention despite her claim that she suffers from multiple sclerosis and requires specific medical care. Miller described Wilson as "unworthy" of community corrections, noting she carries eight prior convictions and had been wanted on an outstanding warrant for nearly one year before her arrest in this case.
Key Takeaways
- Nathaniel Baird was shot at after charging a $70 standard service fee to diagnose Wilson's non-heating dryer
- Wilson forced the repairman to stay inside her home at gunpoint before he escaped through the back door
- She pleaded guilty to intimidation with a deadly weapon and unlawful firearm possession by a serious violent felon
- The judge noted Wilson had eight prior convictions and was wanted on an outstanding warrant before this arrest
What's Next
Wilson will begin serving her 10-year sentence immediately in state correctional custody. No appeal date has been set in the case, which was prosecuted in Marion County Superior Court.