06/24/2025
Charges Filed in Threats to William Jewell College
On June 24, 2025 the Clay County Prosecutor's Office charged Jacob A. Raczkowski, age 25 of St. Joseph, with Terrorist Threat 1st Degree. A judge issued a warrant for Raczkowski and set a $100,000 bond. Raczkowski remains in custody in another county on unrelated charges. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
------ Original 6/23/2025 Post ------
🚨 Arrest Made in Threats to William Jewell College 🚨
A former William Jewell College student is in custody after making threats to students and staff at the College. On June 21, 2025, at approximately 9:45 p.m., Liberty Communications Officers received a call from a person stating they were on the William Jewell College campus and were planning to “start shooting” at a specific building.
On-duty officers quickly responded to the campus and determined the caller was not on or near campus at that time. Jewell leadership was notified of the threats so they could take appropriate measures. Extra police and security presence were in place on Jewell’s campus from that point on.
Assistance was requested from local, state and federal partners to locate the suspect, identified as a former student. On June 22, 2025 at about 11:10 a.m., the investigation indicated the suspect was observed at a business just outside of Liberty near 291 Hwy and I-35. An attempt to stop the vehicle was made by the Clay County Sheriff’s Department; however, the pursuit was discontinued due to the extremely dangerous driving by the suspect. William Jewell College in consultation with Liberty Police announced a campus closure at approximately 7 p.m. on June 22, 2025.
On June 23, 2025, the Missouri Highway Patrol notified us of a pursuit and eventual arrest of our suspect near Sedalia. The Liberty Police department commends William Jewell College for acting swiftly to prioritize the safety of their campus. We continue to work together on this case.
Liberty Police would also like to thank the assisting agencies including the Clay County, Missouri Sheriff, Kansas City Missouri Police Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Saline County Sheriff’s Department, Pettis County Sheriff’s Department, Cooper County Sheriff's Office, Johnson County MO Sheriff's Office and Warrensburg Police Department for help getting the suspect into custody.