Armed man seeking governor arrested at Wisconsin Capitol, returns later with rifle

A man was arrested for carrying a firearm at the Wisconsin Capitol while asking to speak to the governor, then returning hours later armed with an assault-style rifle, a state spokesperson said.

Shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, a shirtless man with a leashed dog and a handgun in a holster approached the security desk outside the governor's office at the Capitol and said he would not leave until he spoke to Gov. Tony Evers, Tatyana Warrick, communications director at the Wisconsin Department of Administration, said Thursday. Since it's illegal to openly carry a firearm in the Wisconsin Capitol, the man was arrested.

The man, who has not been named, was taken to the Dane County Jail and his firearm was seized as evidence, Warrick said. The dog was turned over to the city animal control.

The man bailed himself out, but at around 9 p.m., he returned to the exterior of the Capitol with a loaded "AK-47-style" rifle and again asked to see the governor, Warrick said.

Capitol police and Madison police officers engaged the man in dialogue and found a collapsible police-style baton during a consented search of his backpack, according to Warrick. The man did not have a valid concealed carry permit for the baton.

Based on concerning statements made by the man, officers took him into custody for a psychiatric evaluation, Warrick said. Officers also seized the rifle and the baton.

The governor's office told ABC News it does not comment on specific security threats or the governor’s security detail.

In June, a Windsor man who was initially charged with threatening Evers was sentenced to over a year in prison after pleading guilty to threatening a Dane County official, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Michael A. Yaker, 53, had been accused of threatening state officials, including the governor, via social media, email, voicemail and other means, the news outlet reported.