Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Wisconsin fugitive survives 3 years in makeshift bunker

By: Associated Press//August 15, 2019//

Wisconsin fugitive survives 3 years in makeshift bunker

By: Associated Press//August 15, 2019//

Listen to this article
Authorities investigate a makeshift bunker in the township of Ringle. A Wisconsin fugitive is in custody after a hunter discovered him hiding in the makeshift bunker in the woods. (WSAW-TV via AP)
Authorities investigate a makeshift bunker in the township of Ringle. A Wisconsin fugitive is in custody after a hunter discovered him hiding in the makeshift bunker in the woods. (WSAW-TV via AP)

RINGLE, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin fugitive wanted on charges of child sexual assault and child pornography hid out for more than three years in a makeshift bunker powered by solar panels and a pedal generator before a hunter stumbled onto him last week, police said.

WSAW-TV reports that, several months ago, Thomas Nelson of Wausau found a bunker with a log door carved into an embankment on state land in the township of Ringle, west of Wausau.. He became curious and returned to the bunker on Friday morning to see what was inside.

The door was unlatched so he went inside. He discovered 44-year-old Jeremiah Button, who disappeared in February 2016 just weeks before he was scheduled to stand trial on charges of child sexual assault and child pornography.

“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,” Nelson told the television station. “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.”

He moved away and called police, guiding them to the bunker’s door. A 20-minute stand-off ensued before Button surrendered. Marathon County Sheriff Deputy Matt Kecker said Button seemed almost glad to be speaking to someone else.

Kecker said Button told deputies that he had been building the bunker while his case was moving through court, stockpiling it with things he found in the Marathon County landfill.

Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Stefonek said Button set up solar panels on the bunker’s roof to power LED lights, radios, cooling fans and all manner of electronic equipment. He also had a pedal-powered generator for cloudy days. The bunker was small enough that it stayed warm in winter and cool in summer.

“He was not only surviving, but thriving in this structure through all of the different supplies he was able to find,” Stefonek said.

Button is back in custody on a $100,000 cash bond and is due back in court for a pre-trial conference on Sept. 16. His lawyers, the public defenders Anne Renc and Jessica Phelps, didn’t immediately return phone messages Wednesday. Court records show they were assigned to Button’s case on Tuesday.

His attorney in 2016, Gary Kryshak, withdrew from the case in February 2017, a year after Button fled. He didn’t immediately return a message left at his office Wednesday.

Polls

Should Wisconsin Supreme Court rules be amended so attorneys can't appeal license revocation after 5 years?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Legal News

See All Legal News

WLJ People

Sea all WLJ People

Opinion Digests