This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Josh Gerstein on politico.com on January 8, 2021.
A man who joined in the breach of the Capitol on Wednesday and posted a photo of himself on social media sitting with his feet up on a desk in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday in Arkansas, officials said.
Richard Barnett was arrested in Little Rock on federal charges including unlawful entry into a restricted area, FBI officials said.
In addition, a man elected last year as a delegate to the West Virginia legislature, Derrick Evans, was charged for entering the Capitol without permission.
In a conference call with reporters on Friday, federal prosecutors and the FBI said others involved in the Capitol takeover are also being swept up around the country.
“Just because you’ve left the DC region, you can still expect a knock at the door, if we find out you were part of the criminal activity at the Capitol,” the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Steven D‘antuono, said. “We are sparing no expense or personnel or effort to root those perpetrators out and find them.”
With critics widely faulting the US Capitol Police for inadequate preparation for Wednesday’s events, D’antuono also stood by earlier statements from officials that they did not expect violence from the crowd that gathered in Washington Wednesday to protest President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“There was no indication there was nothing other than First Amendment protected activity,” D’antuono added. “We worked diligently with our partners on this.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/08/fbi-arrest-rioter-pelosi-office-456580
