Suspect sorry for gun theft, complaint says
Apology reported as manhunt continues
JANESVILLE, Wis. - A Janesville man suspected of threatening to carry out attacks in a manifesto sent to the White House wrote an apology to the owner of a gun store before stealing firearms, saying he needed them to protect himself and his family, according to court documents.
Joseph Allen Jakubowski, 32, has been the subject of a manhunt since the burglary April 4 at a gun shop near Janesville. He remained on the run Wednesday.
A criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Rock County charges Jakubowski with burglarizing Armageddon Supplies by diving head-first through a broken window.
Eighteen guns, including a fully automatic M-16 assault rifle, and two gun silencers, along with weapon parts and magazines, were taken, according to the complaint.
Jakubowski’s vehicle was found burning about three miles from the gun shop shortly after the burglary, prosecutors said.
Detectives spoke last Thursday with Jakubowski’s sister, with whom he had been staying until moving out the morning the gun store was burglarized. The sister, identified only as N.J. in the complaint, told investigators she found what appeared to be a draft of an apology letter to the gun shop owner.
In the letter, Jakubowski explained that he wanted to purchase guns to protect himself and his family, but the law prevented him from doing so because he is a felon, the court documents state. Jakubowski previously had several run-ins with police, mostly for traffic violations, and he once tried to disarm an officer in 2008 during a traffic stop, they state.
In his letter, Jakubowski apologized to the store owner for taking the weapons and thanked the owner for protecting the Second Amendment gun rights of citizens, according to the court filing.
More than 150 state and federal law enforcement officers have been searching for the fugitive and have followed more than 400 leads, according to Rock County sheriff’s officials.
He is suspected of threatening to use the guns he stole on public officials or a school, Rock County sheriff’s officials said. On Sunday, authorities dispatched extra patrols around churches because of anti-religious views Jakubowski is believed to have expressed.
He also allegedly sent a 161page manifesto to President Donald Trump.
Sheriff Robert Spoden has said Jakubowski threatened to attack schools and public officials in the manifesto. Jakubowski spoke of a “revolution” in a video that shows him dropping a package addressed to Trump in a mailbox.
In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker’s staff has stopped publicly announcing his schedule as a precaution for his safety while Jakubowski is at large, according to Tom Evenson, Walker’s spokesman.
The FBI said Tuesday it was increasing the reward for information on Jakubowski’s whereabouts from $10,000 to $20,000.
Authorities also released photos of tattoos worn by Jakubowski as they continue to seek the public’s help in finding him.
The FBI also released photos of how Jakubowski might look if he altered his appearance by shaving his head and facial hair.
Anyone with information on Jakubowski’s whereabouts is asked to call the FBI’s tip line at 800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324), or visit tips.fbi.gov to submit a tip online.
Jakubowski is considered armed and dangerous, and direct sightings should be called into 911, the Rock County sheriff said in a news release Wednesday.