5 people with ties to Tenn. arrested in riot
So far five people with Tennessee connections have been arrested on charges related to this month’s U.S. Capitol riot in Washington, D.C.
In order of the most recent arrested, here are the five who stand accused in the Jan. 6 attack when a mob whipped into a frenzy by former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. Five people died and a federal investigation is underway.
BLAKE A. REED
FBI agents arrested Reed, 35, on Jan. 17. He is charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority as well as violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to a criminal complaint from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.
FBI agents received a tip that included a photo of two men that appeared to have been taken inside the Capitol, according to the statement of facts in the case. They identified one of the men as Reed and the other as Matthew Bledsoe, a Memphis man who was arrested Jan. 15 in connection with the riot.
The U.S. Attorney’s office shared a screenshot of a Facebook post on Reed’s account that includes photos of crowds of people, pro-Trump hashtags and a message.
“We the people took the capitol!” the post stated.
Agents used the photos and Facebook post to identify Reed based on the ski goggles and respirator he was wearing.
Reed was released from custody Jan. 19 under supervisory conditions. He is due back in court at a later date.
JACK JESSE GRIFFITH
Griffith, 25, of Gallatin, was arrested Jan. 16. He faces charges including knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, knowingly and with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of government business or official functions and engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds.
Griffith, also known as Juan Bibiano, was arrested in Gallatin, according to Elizabeth Webb, an FBI spokeswoman.
He was identified by an informant through pictures and social media posts related to the riot under the name Juan Bibiano, according to the Department of Justice.
One post includes a message from Bibiano that states: “I even helped stormed the capitol today, but it only made things worse.”
Griffith was released from custody Jan. 19 under supervisory conditions. He is due back in court at a later date.
LISA MARIE EISENHART
Eisenhart, 56, of Woodstock, Georgia, was taken into custody by FBI agents in Nashville on Jan. 16. Authorities believe her son, a Nashville resident, is the man dubbed on social media the “zip tie guy.” He was arrested earlier in the month.
Her charges include conspiring with her son, Eric Munchel, to violate federal statutes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Authorities believe Eisenhart and Munchel “knowingly and willfully joined a mob of individuals to forcibly enter the U.S. Capitol with the intent to cause a civil disturbance,” an arrest warrant states.
Authorities believe a video shows Eisenhart and Munchel in the U.S. Capitol together in the vicinity of a mob that attacked two police officers, according to an arrest warrant.
A hearing to determine whether Eisenhart will be granted bond is set for Monday.
MATTHEW BLEDSOE
Bledsoe, of Memphis, was arrested Jan. 15. He was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, along with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to a criminal complaint from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
According to the complaint, FBI agents received a tip Bledsoe had been part of the group that entered the Capitol illegally.
Bledsoe, the apparent owner of Primetime Movers in Memphis, posted multiple images of himself on Instagram that show him walking inside of the Capitol among hundreds of ProTrump rioters on Wednesday.
Bledsoe’s Instagram showed him walking down a street with dozens of others carrying Trump merchandise.
“We’re coming. This is just the beginning,” Bledsoe said while looking into his phone’s camera. Bledsoe is sporting a “Trump 2020” hat and an American flag-patterned kerchief tied around his neck.
Bledsoe was released from custody last week on his own recognizance and is awaiting trial in the D.C. district court. His bond papers stipulate he can travel throughout West Tennessee or he can travel to their court.
ERIC MUNCHEL
Munchel, 30, of Nashville, was arrested Jan. 10.
The FBI reported photos of a person believed to be Munchel carrying plastic restraints, an item in a holster on his right hip and a cellphone mounted on his chest with the camera facing outward among the “crowd of individuals who forcibly entered the U.S. Capitol and impeded, disrupted, and disturbed the orderly conduct of business by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.”
“Law enforcement interviewed Munchel and identified that he was carrying a black and yellow ‘Taser Pulse’ taser that emits electrical shock,” FBI Special Agent Carlos D Fontanez wrote in the affidavit supporting Munchel’s arrest.
Munchel, the affidavit continues, told agents he had the Taser for self-protection as he had participated in the proTrump rally.
The person carrying the restraints had been nicknamed “zip tie guy” on social media because of the resemblance between the restraints and the common plastic fasteners.
A hearing to determine whether Munchel will be granted bond had been scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Micaela Watts and Mariah Timms contributed to this report. Natalie Neysa Alund is based in Nashville at The Tennessean and covers breaking news across the south for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at nalund@tennessean. com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.