A man is accused of confronting Representative Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for governor of New York, with a sharp weapons on Thursday night was arrested for federal assaultofficials said.
The attack took place outside the Veterans of Foreign Affairs hall near Rochester, NY, where Mr. Zeldin was initiating a series of campaign stops. As the candidate spoke about public safety and the rising cost of living, a man, later identified by police as David G. Jakubonis, approached Mr. Zeldin on stage with a pointed, scissed weapon. he got down before being dragged away by some people nearby, according to officials and video of the attack.
Zeldin was not injured, a campaign representative said at the time.
Jakubonis, 43, of Fairport, NY, appeared in federal court in Rochester on Saturday. He had was previously charged with attempted assault in the second degree, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and was released without bail. Under state law, as of 2020, judges have been barred from bail on nonviolent charges with willful assault.
Federal charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, according to officials. According to Barbara Burns, a spokeswoman for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, he will be held pending a hearing on July 27.
This is an evolving story.
