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Man stashed guns, knives and a bow and arrows in an underground bunker, sheriff says
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MILWAUKEE – Hiding in plain sight.
That's how Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas described 41-year-old Geoffrey Graff, who had stockpiled four guns, three knives and ammunition in an underground bunker near the Milwaukee River.
Investigators don't yet know how long Graff had been living in the underground bunker, but Lucas said "it's conceivable it may have been for a considerable period."
Lucas provided more details in the unusual case in a press conference Friday, saying it is unlike anything he had seen in his 44 years in law enforcement.
The sheriff’s office found Graff’s bunker shortly after 7:41 a.m. Wednesday when someone reported hearing gunshots in the area. Graff admitted to firing three gunshots into the Milwaukee River because he was frustrated that his dogs had run away, Lucas said.
The underground bunker was 8-feet deep, 8-feet wide and 20-feet long. Overlooking the west bank of the Milwaukee River, the property is owned by Milwaukee Area Technical College, which had no knowledge of the bunker.
Inside the bunker, police found four guns, including a sawed-off shotgun. They also found three knives and a bow and arrows that were fashioned from snow plow equipment, Lucas said.
Graff also had a grill, propane tanks, a skillet and a generator. He also had canned goods and boxes of food.
Investigators do not think Graff had a political or ideological motive, Lucas said.
Graff was convicted of disorderly conduct in 2010 and 2012, according to online court records.
Lucas commended the person who reported the gunshots to police.
“One wonders how, in an urban setting, how an individual was able to hide in plain sight, if you will," he said. "Let me say it is all of our responsibility, every one of our responsibilities, to remain vigilant. If you see something, say something to authorities.”
The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office is seeking charges against Graff through the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office, including recklessly endangering safety, possession of a short-barrel shotgun, carrying a concealed weapon and trespassing.
The discovery of Graff's bunker comes three months after authorities in Marathon County discovered a similar bunker near the Ice Age Trail in Ringle, Wisconsin. Fugitive Jeremiah Button had been living the bunker since skipping a court trial three years earlier. He was accused of multiple sex crimes against children.
Follow Jeff Rumage on Twitter at @JeffRumage
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