The Arkansas man seen sitting in the office of Mayor Nancy Pelosi, with her foot on her desk amid a violent rebellion within the United States Capitol, was arrested on Friday, officials said.
Richard Barnett, 60, of Gravette, was taken into federal custody and is expected to appear in court. He will be extradited to Washington, DC, the Justice Department said.
Barnett surrendered to FBI agents around 10 am at the Benton County sheriff’s office in Bentonville, Arkansas, and the authorities executed a search warrant at his home, the FBI told Fox News. He was being held in Washington County Prison.
Barnett is accused of violent entry and theft of public property, among other crimes. He is accused of receiving a letter from Pelosi’s office during the Capitol riot on Wednesday.
Richard Barnett, 60, allegedly broke into the office of Mayor Nancy Pelosi during a riot inside the US Capitol on Wednesday. (- Washington County, Arkansas)
Widely publicized photos appeared to show Barnett with his feet on Pelosi’s desk after a crowd breached security and clashed with authorities on Capitol Hill as a joint session of Congress tried to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“The shocking images of Mr. Barnett with his boots on a table by the House spokesman on Wednesday were disgusting,” said Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rose. “Those who were proven to have committed criminal acts during the invasion of the Capitol will face justice.”
Regarding the letter, Barnett said he took it because he bled on it.
“I didn’t steal it. I bled because they were hurting me and I couldn’t (expletive) see it, so I figured I’m in her office,” he said, according to a Capitol Police investigator.
Deputy Steve Womack, R-Ark., Called Barnett’s actions “embarrassment” for his district and asked for his prosecution.
“I am disgusted to learn that the actions below were perpetrated by a constituent,” he tweeted. “It is a shame for people in the Third District and does not reflect our values. He must be held accountable and face to the fullest extent of the law. This is not the American or Arkansas style.”
The investigators identified Barnett as the person in the photos by comparing those with records and images from the Department of Motor Vehicles and law enforcement databases.
Richard Barnett, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, is sitting in the office of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the US Capitol in Washington, DC (Photo by Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Jim Parsons, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served in Vietnam as a Green Beret, told the Associated Press that he was a guest speaker at some “patriotic meetings” that Barnett attended.
Barnett had an AR-15 rifle with him at the rally “to make sure things stay at peace,” said Parsons.
One of the groups to which Barnett belongs believes that “a face mask is a dress rehearsal for what is to come … This will end up with a chip on the forehead,” said Parsons.
Viral conspiracy theories on the far right promoted the false notion of microchip implants.
The authorities accused 12 others in federal court of the disturbances that occurred while Congress was in the process of reviewing the Electoral College votes attributed to Biden.
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The session was interrupted when a mob breached the building’s security and resumed hours later.
Five people died in the chaos, including Brian Sicknick, 42, a Capitol police officer who succumbed to his injuries on Thursday. He was injured during a physical fight with protesters and passed out after returning to his division’s office.