In manhunt for anti-government “manifesto fugitive” Joseph Jakubowski, tips nearly double to some 700

ROCK COUNTY, Wis. -- Tips continue to flood the Rock County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office on the possible whereabouts of fugitive Joseph Jakubowski.

As of late Wednesday, the office had received about 700 leads, and investigators were pursuing about 130 of them, reports CBS Milwaukee affiliate WDJT-TV. That was almost double the number from 24 hours earlier.

Joseph Allen Jakubowski, 32, is suspected of stealing firearms from a store after threatening to carry out attacks, in a manifesto sent to the White House.

He wrote an apology to the shop’s owner before taking the guns, saying he needed them to protect himself and his family, according to court documents.

Sheriff Robert Spoden has said Jakubowski threatened to attack schools and public officials in the 161-page manifesto that he mailed to President Trump. Jakubowski spoke of a “revolution” in a video that shows him dropping a package addressed to the president in a mailbox.

CBS Madison, Wisconin affiliate WISC-TV cites one of its media partners, TMJ4 in Milwaukee, as saying Jakubowski calls the government a “gang of terrorists” in a portion of the manifesto it obtained.

In the 35 pages, Jakubowski refers to health insurance, taxes and religion as examples of the government trying to brainwash citizens, says WISC. “We the people should be out for these sick minded people belonging to the system!” he wrote.  “We need to spill their blood!” Jakubowski also claims he’s an artist, but says the government regulations destroyed his passion.       

Jakubowski has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt since the burglary April 4 at a gun shop near Janesville, a city about 60 miles southwest of Milwaukee. He remained on the run Thursday.

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 that as a felon, the law prevented him from doing so, 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 him, the Rock County sheriff’s office says.

The FBI said Tuesday it was increasing the reward for information on Jakubowski’s whereabouts from $10,000 to $20,000.