A man who accosted former Rep. Lee Zeldin at an upstate NY campaign stop receives 3 years probation
A man who accosted Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin at a campaign stop in upstate New York last year received three years probation
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man who climbed onto a campaign event platform in upstate New York last year and accosted Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin received three years probation Thursday.
David Jakubonis approached the then-U.S. representative while carrying a keychain with two sharp points at a campaign rally near Rochester, New York in July 2022. The two men struggled, and Jakubonis pulled Zeldin down before being subdued, according to prosecutors.
Jakubonis’ attorneys have said the U.S. Army veteran was drunk and was trying to get to the microphone.
Jakubonis, 44, pleaded guilty in September to a misdemeanor charge of assaulting a federal officer, setting up the sentencing hearing Thursday. A judge allowed his release from jail to an alcohol treatment program in October.
Jakubonis’ attorney said his client "is not the same person" 17 months after the incident and has benefitted from counseling to address post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorder.
“David is a decorated veteran of the war on terror and has been found permanently disabled from his service,” John DeMarco wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “I believe those circumstances together with the support of former Congressman Zeldin (and) the criminal justice system got this disposition perfectly right.”
Jakubonis was deployed to Iraq in 2009 as a medical laboratory technician.