MADISON, Wis. — A man who twice brought guns to the Wisconsin state Capitol building looking for Gov. Tony Evers has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.
Prosecutors accused Joshua Pleasnick of coming to the Capitol on Oct. 4 and demanding to see the governor while armed with a handgun. He was arrested, posted bail and returned to the building that night with a rifle and a baton hidden in his backpack.
He again demanded to talk to Evers but the building was closed. He was arrested again and charged with carrying a firearm in a public building, a misdemeanor.
Online court records indicate Pleasnick, now 44, pleaded guilty to that charge on May 24 and was sentenced to 30 days in the Dane County Jail with work-release privileges.
Pleasnick told The Associated Press in a telephone interview about three weeks after he was arrested that he wanted to talk to Evers about why he believed men aren’t taken seriously when seeking protection orders against women.
He said he thought it was legal to openly carry a weapon in a public building and he had no intention of hurting anyone. He said he had moved to Nebraska and planned to stay away from Evers.
Pleasnick’s attorney, Michael Covey, said Monday that Pleasnick never threatened or intended to threaten anyone and complied with officers.
“He learned his lesson and he’s working to rebuild his life,” Covey said.
Court records on Monday listed Pleasnick’s address as Memphis, Tennessee. Covey said that Pleasnick moved several months before he entered his plea.
Even though Pleasnick qualified for work-release privileges he doesn’t have a job and has spent his sentence behind bars, Covey added.