EC man sentenced for threatening workers at local DOC office
Jan. 31—EAU CLAIRE — An Eau Claire man will spend two years on probation for threatening to harm probation agents and other workers at the state Department of Corrections office in Eau Claire.
Joseph M. Teske, 35, 2602 Hallie Lane, pleaded no contest recently in Eau Claire County Court to a felony count of terrorist threats.
As conditions of probation, Judge Sarah Harless ordered Teske to undergo mental health treatment and any other recommended programming or treatment.
Teske was also fined $518.
According to the criminal complaint:
An Eau Claire police officer was sent to the DOC office on Friday, Nov. 11, to meet with a probation agent about a possible bomb threat that was made to their building.
The agent said Teske had a warrant for his arrest since Nov. 4 because he broke a restraining order.
A probation supervisor told the officer Teske was informed of the warrant and instructed him to turn himself in, which he didn't.
When he was instructed to come in a second time, Teske told the probation agent he would be there in 15 minutes.
Teske also made threats that everyone in the DOC building should be smart and evacuate. He said people will get hurt.
The agent and supervisor couldn't determine if the threat was fake. They said Teske can be unpredictable and is known to have firearms.
A police officer sat in the DOC parking lot to try and intercept Teske if he came to the building. He never showed up.
The officer was then contacted again after Teske made another threat to the building. He said "if he wanted everyone dead, then they would be dead."
Teske informed the probation agent he was just going to hunker down in his house because he didn't want to go to jail.
The probation supervisor told the police officer an email was sent to all probation agents and DOC staff that there were threats. They were limiting the number of staff members who were in the front of the office.
Staff at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital called police at 6 p.m. on Friday to report that Teske was in the emergency room. Teske told hospital staff he had plans to die by suicide by cop. He also told them how he was planning to blow up buildings.
When police contacted Teske at his hospital room, he said he would not resist or fight with them.
Teske said he never wanted to hurt anyone. He said he made the threats so officers would come to his house. He reiterated that he wanted to die by suicide by cop.
