Wisconsin Keeps Close Eye on Churches, Places of Worship
A place of worship in Wisconsin called off its Sunday service after a fugitive was reportedly seen on church premises. The suspect is identified as Joseph Jakubowski who stole from a gun store and threatened an unspecified attack that triggered a multiagency manhunt on him.
On the night of April 4, the 31-year-old suspect broke into the Armageddon Supplies gun shop in Janesville and carted away 16 firearms consisting of at least two assault rifles and several handguns. He also torched his car which was parked near the burglarized store.
Police later released a video showing Jakubowski mailing a package to the White House. The video was recorded by the suspect's friend who didn't realize the gravity of the situation until after the arms store burglary three hours after. He regretted recording the video, News 3 Madison reported.
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The mailed package contained a 161-page manifesto featuring anti-government rants and "personal angst against anything other than natural law or rule."
Rock County Sheriff Robert Spoden said, "Basically, he's angry at all government officials... Whether it's the president or local officials or whether it's law enforcement, he basically has a dislike for anyone that has authority or governmental power."
On April 6, elders of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Sun Prairie reported a suspicious man matching Jakubowski's description who went to them and asked questions about church services and practices, including inquiries about turning people away. This prompted the church to cancel its worship services that Sunday.
Although no threat was made on a religious group, authorities advised the cancellation of church services as a precaution considering Jakubowski's manifesto expressed "anti-religious views." The Janesville Police Department and Rock County Sheriff's Office beefed up patrols near churches.
"We always want to hinge on the side of safety," police spokesman Joseph Hack said. "If we didn't and something did happen, it would be a bad look toward our department as well as the church."
Bethlehem Lutheran had no surveillance camera installed but it was determined on Sunday afternoon that the person who inquired wasn't Jakubowski.
