MADISON, Wis. — A man with a handgun showed up at the Wisconsin Capitol demanding to see Gov. Tony Evers (D) on Wednesday, was arrested, posted bail, returned to the Statehouse with a rifle and was taken into protective custody, according to police.

The shirtless man had a holstered handgun and leashed dog with him when he appeared at the security desk outside of the governor’s office Wednesday afternoon demanding to see the governor, according to a statement from the state police. An officer arrested him for openly carrying a firearm.

The man was booked into jail and posted bail. He returned to the outside of the Capitol with a loaded AK-47 around 9 p.m., three hours after the Statehouse closed, according to the state police. He asked to see the governor again. Officers spoke with him and asked to search his backpack. He agreed and they found a police baton, which they said violated state law because the man did not have a concealed-weapons permit, according to police.

The Wisconsin Capitol Police took the man into protective custody for a psychiatric evaluation shortly before midnight based on “concerning statements” the man made, according to a statement from state police spokeswoman Tatyana Warrick. She did not release the man’s name.

The Associated Press first reported on the incident.

A spokeswoman for Evers declined to comment, citing a policy of not discussing threats.

The incident occurred a year after Evers’s name appeared on a hit list of a man suspected of killing a retired county judge. The alleged assailant in that incident died soon after the judge was fatally shot.

In 2020, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) was targeted in a kidnapping plot. Nine people were convicted of charges stemming from that plot, and five were acquitted.

Originally Posted By Noliberals4⏩