SPRINGFIELD, Missouri (KY3) – FBI agents arrested a wanted man in Springfield, Missouri for his involvement in the Capitol riots on January 6.
The agents took Zachary John Wilson into custody without incident on Friday morning. He faces a federal charge of intentionally entering or staying in any restricted building.
Thousands invaded the Capitol on January 6, while Congress was meeting to vote to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Five people died in the chaos.
According to a criminal complaint, an anonymous informant informed the FBI that Wilson posted on his Facebook account saying he had entered the Capitol.
The informant provided a screenshot, in which Wilson appears to comment on a post asking if he entered with the “first to enter !! !! The first thing we found was Pelosi’s office. “
FBI officials checked the correspondence, but it had been withdrawn and Wilson’s account deactivated on an unknown date.
According to the complaint, Wilson admitted to entering the Capitol during an interview on January 20. The FBI says Wilson shot an 18-second video at Pelosi’s office. During an interview, Wilson said he entered the Capitol because he wanted his “voice to be heard”, but added that he did not destroy property.
On January 23, the FBI received a DVD from the Capitol Police showing Wilson walking down a corridor. Authorities say he was wearing a red jacket with a surgical mask and a blue cap that read “Trump.”
At least four people in the Springfield metropolitan area were arrested in connection with the Capitol riot.
Agents say Brothers Michael Quick and Stephen Quick of Springfield surrendered to FBI agents in early February, after an arrest warrant was issued. Zachary Martin of Rogersville was also arrested in connection with the riot in late January.
Springfield’s attorney, Dee Wampler, represents Martin and the Quick brothers. Wampler said that some of those who participated in the rebellion have something in common.
“Many of these individuals were not particularly political,” said Wampler. “If you ask them if you are a Republican or a Democrat, they will say that I am a patriot.”
Wampler said that only that word inspired many to go to the Capitol.
“They got the call from the president saying that if you were a patriot, you should come to Washington DC and they felt it was their duty to do so,” he said.
Although Wampler is not representing Wilson, he said that many people arrested and accused feel they have done nothing wrong.
“They took selfies with certain different things in the background, like paintings,” he said. “They didn’t really think that they were necessarily doing something illegal.”
In fact, Wampler said that several participants almost felt “welcome”.
“There were security guards there who said they were welcome. In between. This is the people’s home, ”he said.
Wampler said his clients, in particular, “did not touch anything, did not steal anything, did not push or shove a police officer and they were not disrespectful”.
He said that all three clients face crimes that can carry up to a year in prison, in addition to fines. The quick brothers had an indictment hearing on Friday.
“So the government will spend millions and millions of dollars, basically, and reassign other cases, violent cases, drugs, sex, pornography,” said Wampler. “These cases will now be pushed out of the way because they will all be prosecuted. If that is the desire and desire of the federal government, well, this is what will happen ”.
Police officers across the country have been working to locate and arrest other suspects who believe they had committed crimes during the riot.
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