(Lander, WY) – On Tuesday, August 23, 2022, the Lander Police Department received a tip from authorities in Wisconsin that 47-year-old Joshua Eaker, a violent fugitive and twice convicted sexual predator, might be in the city of Lander, according to a press release.
Eaker, who was on supervised parole after being released from a Wisconsin penitentiary in December of 2021, had cut off his ankle monitor and disappeared from authorities in early July.
LPD, with the assistance of the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, located Eaker, who was staying at a hotel in Lander. When confronted inside of a room at the hotel, he refused to comply with the officer’s commands and pulled a large knife. He began swinging the knife toward the officers, who deployed less lethal measures. After a brief struggle, Eaker’s arrest was effectuated without further incident.
Currently, he is remanded in the custody of the Fremont County Detention Center, awaiting his extradition back to Wisconsin, where he will face numerous new charges.
“Because of the officer’s training and experience, with the highest regard of professionalism, the officers were able to safely control the situation without having to take a life,” the release continued.