Manhunt ends with suspect’s capture

A man accused of stealing guns in connection with a possible plan for an attack has been captured in Wisconsin after a 10-day manhunt, authorities said.

Joseph Jakubowski, 32, was taken into custody early Friday morning after authorities responded to a call about a suspicious person on a farmer’s property in Readstown, Wisc., authorities said in a statement.

More than 150 local, state and federal law enforcement officials had been searching for Jakubowski, whom authorities suspected of stealing at least 16 high-end firearms April 4 from a gun shop in Janesville, a town not far from Wisconsin’s southern border. Police said he had also written a 161-page anti-government and anti-religion manifesto, which he apparently mailed to President Donald Trump at the White House.

It prompted police to monitor local schools, churches and public leaders as a precaution.

“What could have happened here was a mass shooting; that was our concern,” Janesville Police Chief David Moore said during a news conference Friday afternoon, adding: “That’s not the case.”

Moore said that authorities were fortunate to learn about the manifesto, the burglary and a “very involved plan” and “prompt disappearance.”

“All of this alerted us that we needed a quick and thorough investigation,” he said.

The Rock County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that local authorities in Vernon County received a call late Thursday about a man matching Jakubowski’s description who was camping and refused to leave the area.

Jakubowski was found under a tarp on the property.