Police death threats; Milwaukee man not guilty due to mental status

FOX6 News Digital Team
·2 min read
6

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man accused of fleeing police in 2023 and later threatening to kill an officer reached a plea deal on Friday, April 12.

Court records show 32-year-old Jake Finn pleaded guilty to fleeing police, but the court found him not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. A felony charge of threatening a law enforcement officer was dismissed.

Case details

According to a criminal complaint, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee police were stopped at Maryland and Locust on Aug. 29, 2023 when a Hummer passed them on the right and ran the red light. Officers quickly stopped the driver, identified as Finn, who held his driver's license out the window as the officers approached.

Officers said Finn was not wearing a shirt or a seat belt. Per the complaint, Finn said he was "on his way to see his sick mother" and there is a "statue of his uncle in South Milwaukee." The officers and Finn had an exchange about the reason for the traffic stop, and Finn said "I don't have time for this." Officers told him to stay in his vehicle, but he got out anyway.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

"You're nothing in Milwaukee. There's a statue of my uncle," Finn yelled at officers as they told him to get back in his car, the complaint states. He did get back into his car – but drove off, leading officers on a pursuit.

Officers called off the chase, the complaint states, but minutes later Finn's Hummer was found parked and unoccupied near Sherman and Hope, roughly five miles from where he took off. Officers there watched the SUV for about 15 minutes, but did not see Finn.

Arrest video

On Sept. 2, police spotted the Hummer, pulled it over and arrested Finn. While in the squad car, the complaint states Finn called the officer a "(expletive) idiot," a "dumb (expletive)," a "(expletive) loser" and a "piece of (expletive)." He then told the officer: "Take that rifle, stick it in your mouth and pull the trigger." The complaint also states Finn threatened to punch the officer in the face and said, "I am gonna come kill you."

"I'm a pacifist all right, I'll pass a fist through your (expletive) face," Finn said in video released by police.

Finn later said "my dad is literally a millionaire" and reiterated "there's a statue of my great uncle in South Milwaukee," per the complaint. He also called an officer a "(expletive) crumb."