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A general view of the Wisconsin Capitol in downtown Madison on November 4, 2020.
CNN
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A man who twice showed up at the Wisconsin Capitol with a gun to demand to speak to the governor this week made a ‘concerning statement’ during at least one of his visits and was arrested twice by authorities, state officials said.
The man first showed up Wednesday afternoon shirtless, with a handgun and a dog and refused to leave the building until he saw Gov. Tony Evers, told CNN a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Administration. He was arrested, posted bail and brought back to the building that night with a loaded AK-47-style rifle and the same demand — and was arrested, officials said.
Authorities have not released many details about the incident or the man’s statement or whether it was violent. But Evers, like a number of public officials in recent years, has previously is the subject of violent threats.
Just last year, Evers, a Democrat, was on the hit list of a man who authorities said shot dead a former Wisconsin judge, according to a source close to this investigation. On the same target list was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer – herself the subject of a kidnapping plot – was also on the shooter’s list of targets, his office said at the time.
Here’s what we know about Wednesday’s incidents.
On Wednesday shortly before 2 p.m., the man approached the security desk outside the governor’s office at the Capitol, which is in Madison, and openly carried a handgun, according to a Capitol Police visitor alert from the state of Wisconsin obtained by CNN from the office of a state senator. . Open transport is illegal at the Wisconsin Capitol.
The man was shirtless and had a handgun in a holster and a dog on a leash, Department of Administration spokeswoman Tatyana Warrick said in an email to CNN on Thursday.
The man was identified in the alert as 43-year-old Joshua Pleasnick. He made contact with an officer who was at the office and told him he would not leave until he saw the governor, the alert states.
When he was told he could not openly carry a firearm in the Capitol, he said he would not comply and was arrested, according to the alert.
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Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers speaks to a reporter November 7, 2022 in Milwaukee.
He was taken to the Dane County Jail on suspicion of openly carrying a firearm in a public building, and the firearm was seized as evidence, according to the administrative department’s release.
The dog was turned over to Madison Animal Services, the release added.
“During his interview, Pleasnick said he would continue to come to the Capitol until he spoke to the governor about domestic violence against men,” the visitor alert said.
He was released from prison and returned to the Capitol around 9 p.m., this time armed with a loaded AK-47 rifle, the administrative department said. He asked once again to see the governor.
The Capitol Police and Madison Police “have entered into a dialogue” with him, the administrative department said. “A consent search of his backpack was conducted and revealed a collapsible police-style baton, which is illegal because the man did not have a valid concealed carry permit,” the department said.
Officers took him into custody, based on a “concerning statement” he made, shortly before midnight for a psychiatric evaluation, and the rifle was seized by Capitol Police, the officer said. administrative department.
According to the visitor alert, Pleasnick was placed “in protective custody.”
“Be extremely careful when in contact with Pleasnick. He should be considered armed,” the alert added.
CNN has attempted to reach Pleasnick for comment.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Evers said he was doing well, adding that while he doesn’t comment on his security services, incidents like this always prompt a reevaluation of security policies.
“The Capitol Police took control of the situation and so it’s over, but it’s still something that… you don’t want to see happen, but that’s why we have good people in the police department , in the Capitol Police and in the State Patrol, they “We are doing a great job,” the governor said.