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A New Mexico county official was arrested on Sunday after federal officials said he entered a restricted section of the U.S. Capitol during the deadly pro-Trump incursion and led rioters to prayer.
Couy Griffin, Otero County Commissioner and founder of Cowboys for Trump, has been arrested in Washington. DC, and faces a single charge of knowingly entering or staying in a restricted building without legal permission, according to a federal criminal complaint.
In an affidavit, a Metropolitan Police detective said a Cowboys for Trump videographer told authorities that after he and Griffin saw the group go through security barriers, they scaled the wall of the Capitol building before to go to an outdoor terrace.
There Griffin used a megaphone to lead the group in prayer, the document said.
In a video cited by the affidavit, Griffin also told the crowd that it was “a big day for America” and that “people are showing they have had enough”.
“People are ready for a fair and legal election, or that’s what you’re going to get,” he said, according to the affidavit.
In a Facebook post on the Cowboys for Trump page, Griffin later said he planned to return to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20 for a possible “2nd Amendment rally” that would include “the blood spilling out of this building,” the ‘affidavit.
At a Jan. 14 meeting in Otero County, Griffin told other officials he planned to take a rifle and a handgun upon his return to Washington, according to the affidavit.
Additional information about Griffin’s arrest was not detailed in the document and it was not clear whether he had retained legal counsel. A message left at the Cowboys for Trump was not immediately returned Sunday.
In an interview with police, Griffin said he had “caught up” with the crowd and that authorities never asked him to leave, according to the affidavit.
He told authorities he left the area peacefully and hoped there could be a change of direction “without a single shot being fired.” He added that there is “no option that is not possible for freedom,” the affidavit states.
Dozens of people have been arrested and charged with allegedly participating in the takeover of the Capitol, including a Kentucky man who was arrested on Sunday for appearing to use a rolled up Trump flag to smash a window in the president’s lobby, which leads to the House. chamber, according to an affidavit filed in Washington Federal District Court.
Chad Barrett Jones faces charges of assault on a federal agent, violent entry and disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds and other crimes. It was not known on Sunday if Jones had a lawyer.
Court documents say Jones was arrested when a relative contacted authorities after seeing him in the media.
Another person arrested on Sunday, Bryan Betancur, was captured on video holding a Confederate battle flag in a restricted section on the west side of the Capitol, the FBI said in court documents.
Betancur, who was on probation for a burglary conviction, wore an ankle bracelet, and GPS data showed he was in the area for three hours on Jan.6, according to the documents.
Betancur faces charges of participation in restricted activities and other crimes. We didn’t know Sunday night if he had a lawyer.
In unsealed court documents Sunday, a Colorado man described as an affiliate of the 3 Percenters, a far-right militia, was charged with assaulting a federal officer, aiding and abetting the destruction of federal property and other crimes.
In an affidavit, an FBI agent said the man, Robert Gieswein, was filmed spraying law enforcement officers with an unknown substance before he and others demolished a barricade and don’t rush into the building.
The officer said Gieswein, who was seen wearing military-style goggles and gear, appears to lead a private paramilitary training group, the Woodland Wild Dogs. The court records did not mention a lawyer for him.
University of Kentucky student Gracyn Courtright faces charges of theft, knowingly entering a restricted building and other crimes, according to unsealed court documents on Sunday.
In Indiana, the FBI announced the arrest of Jon Schaffer, a guitarist for the metal band Iced Earth, who allegedly used pepper spray on Capitol Police. He faces six counts, including that of committing physical violence on the Capitol, the FBI said.
In a Facebook post, Iced Earth bassist Luke Appleton told the rest of the band: “DO NOT condone or support the riots or acts of violence the rioters were involved in on January 6 on Capitol Hill. American. We hope that all of these involved that day are brought to justice to be investigated and held accountable. “
It was not known Sunday evening if Schaffer had a lawyer.
Authorities still have hundreds of other cases open related to the riot, in which five people died, including Capitol Hill policeman Brian Sicknick. The FBI on Sunday released photos of seven men who it said assaulted a Washington police officer.
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