St. Joseph man charged in shooting threat to William Jewell College

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Jacob Raczkowski/ Photo courtesy of Liberty, Missouri Police Department 

By MATT PIKE

St. Joseph Post

A St. Joseph man has been charged in connection with a shooting threat that led to a lockdown at William Jewell College in Liberty on Sunday evening. 

Liberty Police say that on Tuesday, 25 year old Jacob A. Raczkowski of St. Joseph, a former student at William Jewell, was charged in Clay County with first degree terroistic threat. Raczkowski remains in custody in Lafayette County, Missouri, on additional charges of eluding police.

Police say on Saturday, the department received a call from someone just before 10pm claiming they were on the William Jewell campus and planned to “start shooting.”  Authorities determined the caller was not on campus but were able to identify the suspect as a former student.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper noticed Raczkowski’s Jeep Cherokee on Sunday and attempted to make a traffic stop, according to court documents.  Raczkowski allegedly began “angrily” yelling at the trooper before speeding off.  A pursuit ensued, reaching speeds “well in excess” of 100 mph, the trooper said in court documents.

After the chase continued on multiple roads through Saline County, one of the Jeep’s tires popped, leading Raczkowski to allegedly flee on foot.  Authorities conducted an extensive search using aircraft and law enforcement K-9s, but could not find him.  A second search was set up Monday, and Raczkowski was eventually taken into custody.

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