Las Vegas Sun

April 16, 2024

Wisconsin churches on alert amid hunt for gun theft suspect

JANESVILLE, Wis. — Authorities are stepping up patrols around southern Wisconsin churches as a precaution as they search for a man suspected of stealing firearms from a gun store after threatening to carry out an unspecified attack.

The Rock County Sheriff's Office says 32-year-old Joseph Jakubowski expressed anti-religious views in a 161-page manifesto he sent to the White House. Police were increasing patrols near Janesville churches Sunday, although investigators say there is no specific threat.

Police in Sun Prairie, about 48 miles north of Janesville, say a man who entered Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Thursday and asked about church services was not Jakubowski.

Jakubowski is accused of taking handguns and rifles from a gun shop Tuesday night in Janesville, about 70 miles southwest of Milwaukee. Investigators have followed up on about 320 tips.

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