Two Florida men guilty of participating in Capitol riots
WASHINGTON – Two Florida men were convicted on Wednesday for storming the US Capitol during the January 2021 uprising.
Joshua Christopher Doolin, 25, of Polk City, and Michael Stephen Perkins, 39, of Plant City, were found guilty of gross civil disorder, breaking into and being in a building or restricted area, and disorderly conduct and disorderly conduct in a building or in restricted areas. , according to the protocol of the court. Doolin was also convicted of theft of government property. Perkins was separately convicted of assaulting a federal officer with a lethal or dangerous weapon and engaging in acts of physical violence on the Capitol’s restricted grounds. Sentencing is set for July 13.
Doolin and Perkins were arrested on June 30, 2021, along with co-defendants Joseph Hutchinson and Olivia Pollock, officials said. Earlier this month, a federal judge issued arrest warrants for Hutchinson and Pollock after the FBI said they tampered with or removed their ankle sensors and disappeared. A fifth co-defendant, Jonathan Pollock, has yet to be apprehended and the FBI is offering a reward of up to $30,000 in exchange for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Doolin and Perkins, along with others, objected to Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 victory over then-President Donald Trump, according to court documents. Authorities said the mob attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to prevent Congress from confirming the election results in favor of Biden, not Republican Trump. Five people died as a result of the violence.
According to evidence and testimony presented in court, Doolin and Perkins were on the west side of the Capitol on January 6. Hutchinson, who was pushed from behind by Perkins, threw himself at a line of policemen who were trying to break through the line, prosecutors said. . As officers descended into the crowd to assist another officer, authorities said, Perkins raised a flagpole and plunged it into the chest of the approaching officer. Perkins then raised the flagpole over his head and lowered it, striking the back of the head of two officers.
Doolin and Perkins then moved closer to the Capitol building, where Doolin purchased a Metropolitan Police Department riot control spray can and a US Capitol police shield, prosecutors said. Doolin eventually moved to the Capitol building entrance passageway, where he used a stolen riot shield to join a mob of rioters pushing police inside the passageway in an attempt to break through and enter the Capitol building, officials said.
Since January 6, 2021, more than 999 people have been arrested for crimes related to violating US Capitol requirements, officials said. More than 320 people have been charged with assaulting or obstructing law enforcement.
Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed without permission.
Dallas Press News – Latest News:
Dallas Local News || Fort Worth Local News | Texas State News || Crime and Safety News || National news || Business News || Health News
