The man accused of attacking former Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin at a campaign event last year has been released from his court-ordered live-in treatment programs.
David Jakubonis — who was freed without bail after the attack under the state’s controversial criminal-justice reforms — was ordered into alcohol-rehab and mental-health residential treatment in October pending the outcome of his related legal cases.
“After one year of sobriety, he has met all of the appropriate [treatment] markers,” the defendant’s lawyer, John DeMarco, told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.
Jakubonis allegedly jumped on a stage last July and lunged at Zeldin with a bizarre pointed weapon — later identified as a sharp keychain fob that looks like a cartoon cat’s head and is marketed for “self-defense.”
Other people quickly swarmed the stage to subdue Jakubonis.
Zeldin was not seriously hurt.
It was determined that Jakubonis, who was drunk at the time, suffers from post-traumatic-stress disorder as well as substance-abuse issues.
Jakubonis faces federal charges of assaulting Zeldin, a sitting congressman from Long Island, over the July 2022 incident.
He was also charged with state attempted-assault charges in the case.
Jakubonis is a Bronze star recipient for his service in Iraq.
Zeldin, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq, said Monday he is pleased his fellow veteran and alleged attacker had sobered up.
“I am glad to hear David Jakubonis is taking the necessary steps to remain sober and get his life on track,” Zeldin said in a statement. “He is a fellow veteran struggling to overcome the mental wounds of war, and I hope he can continue to make positive progress.”
Zeldin has not ruled out meeting with Jakubonis.
“There is nothing scheduled at this time, but there is a possibility for something in the future,” a Zeldin rep said.
DeMarco told the Democrat & Chronicle that contesting his client’s criminal charges “have taken a back burner to his individual recovery, and I think rightly so.
“I have advocated for a non-felony disposition. The US Attorney’s Office is working through that, and we are hoping that we will be providing a dispositive position on that before the next court date,” the lawyer said.
Jakubonis is scheduled to return to federal court Sept. 13.
The attack on Zeldin renewed criticism of the state’s cashless bail law after Jakubonis was released shortly after his arrest, before entering the court-ordered treatment.
It wasn’t the only crime that personally impacted Zeldin during the campaign, in which he put up a strong showing, only narrowly losing to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in a blue-leaning state.
A shooting occurred outside his Long Island house Oct. 9 while his terrified daughters were inside studying just a few feet away inside.
Zeldin made law-and-order a cornerstone of his campaign.
