• Man in “Camp Auschwitz” shirt, 2 Va. cops arrested in riot,
A man photographed in a sweatshirt that read “Camp Auschwitz” was arrested Wednesday and charged with taking part in the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week, officials said.
Robert Keith Packer, 56, who was arrested in Newport News, Va., was identified by news media citing acquaintances who said he was the individual shown in several photographs taken at the Capitol whose sweatshirt referred to the infamous Nazi concentration camp.
The sweatshirt included the phrase, “Work Brings Freedom,” a rough English translation of the German words that hung over one of the gates of the death camp, where more than 1.1 million people were killed during World War II. The arrest was first reported by the New York Times.
Mr. Packer appeared in federal court in Norfolk, Va., on Wednesday. An arrest warrant charges him with unlawful entry and disorderly conduct on restricted Capitol grounds, two misdemeanors punishable by as much as a year in prison.
The Post was unable to reach Mr. Packer, and a lawyer who recently represented him did not respond to requests for comment. Relatives and neighbors declined to talk or did not respond to inquiries. Public records list Mr. Packer’s address as a residence in Newport News.
Two police officers also were arrested.
Officers Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker of Rocky Mount, Va., were arrested on Wednesday.
Officer Robertson and Officer Fracker were placed on administrative leave by the Rocky Mount Police Department. Both asserted their innocence.
Officer Robertson told a local news station he and Officer Fracker were allowed entry by Capitol police and did not participate in any violence. Demonstrators both critical of and in support of the officers faced off before a town council meeting Monday, local news outlets reported.
An arrest affidavit alleges the FBI had information Officer Robertson and Officer Fracker were photographed in the Capitol between 2 and 8 p.m. making an obscene statement. Officer Robertson was allegedly quoted on social media saying “CNN and the Left are just mad because we actually attacked the government who is the problem and not some random small business ... The right IN ONE DAY took the [expletive] U.S. Capitol. Keep poking us.”
According to the affidavit by U.S. Capitol Police Special Agent Vincent Veloz, a now-deleted Facebook post by Officer Fracker was captioned, “Lol to anyone who’s possibly concerned about the picture of me going around ... Sorry I hate freedom? ... Not like I did anything illegal ... y’all do what you feel you need to.”
Officer Robertson shared the image with colleagues at the police department, according to the affidavit.
The men were charged with misdemeanor counts of illegal entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. A first appearance was set in federal court in Roanoke on Wednesday.
An attorney listed for Officer Fracker did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Officer Robertson was listed as being appointed an assistant federal defender.