A Wisconsin man who had been on the run from police for over three years has been captured after been found in a bunker.
Jeremiah Button vanished in February 2016 just weeks before he was to stand trial for charges relating to child sexual assault and indecent images of children. However, last week he was found by a local hunter who had been exploring the land around the town of Ringle, west of Wausau.
He was found in a bunker which was fitted with solar power panels to power LED lights, radios and other electronic equipment.
The hunter, Thomas Nelson, said he had discovered the bunker;’s log door many months ago but did not take a closer look. He later returned to the site and found Mr Button inside.
Mr Nelson told WSAW-TV: “I pushed the door open, and I look inside and I can see canned foods, there’s little storage boxes, and I’m like… I gotta go in,”
He added: “I come around the corner a bit and there he is, laying in his bed. I mean, I was shaking when I went in, I was shaking when I went out.”
Mr Nelson soon left the bunker and called the police to say he had found the runaway. Mr Button was arrested after a 20 minute standoff.
County sheriff’s deputy Matt Kecker said Button had been building the bunker whilst his case was going through court. He stockpiled items and filled up the bunker so he was ready to go into hiding.
Sheriff’s lieutenant Jeff Stefonek said: “[Button] has solar panels up on the roof that power three car batteries inside the structure… and from those three car batteries he has running to LED lights and radios and cooling fans, all sorts of electronic equipment, some of it left intact for its intended purpose, and other things he took apart to fit the needs he had.”
Buttons is now in custody and is due back in court on September 16th for a pretrial conference.
