Ridgefield man accused of pinning cop at Capitol released on bond
A Ridgefield man accused of crushing a Metropolitan police officer in a door frame during the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol was ordered released from custody Tuesday as his federal court case remains pending, court filings show.
Patrick McCaughey III is facing charges of assaulting an officer, assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon and obstructing an official proceeding along with other charges, records show.
A second man, Tristan Stevens, has also been charged as a co-defendant.
Judge Trevor McFadden granted a motion for McCaughey’s release made by Lindy Urso, McCaughey’s Stamford-based criminal defense attorney during a status conference hearing held Tuesday over video conference.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Urso said McCaughey should be released from custody soon after his processing is complete.
“I just want to say it seems like the judge believed much of what we put in our release paperwork. I’m just thankful common sense and the law prevailed,” Urso said.
Authorities allege McCaughey pinned D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges in a door
frame with a riot shield as Hodges attempted to prevent a mob of Trump supporters from storming the building at the lower west terrace entrance. Authorities claim McCaughey also struck another officer with a riot shield.
Urso said he was able to secure McCaughey’s release on a lien for the full equity of a New Canaan property owned by McCaughey’s family. A court filing said the property belongs to McCaughey’s grandmother.
McCaughey will return to his mother’s home in Ridgefield, where she will act as his custodian. It’s unclear how often McCaughey will be able to leave the home. Urso said
his client works with his father, who is a building contractor.
Prosecutors argued successfully against allowing McCaughey to be released from custody in February, claiming he was a flight risk as a dual citizen of the U.S. and Germany, and because the bond for his release would be secured through liens on his family’s properties. Prosecutors also cited the fact that McCaughey’s father attended the Jan. 6 rally, spurred by President Trump’s false narrative that the election had been stolen, as evidence he should not be released.
In court filings earlier in the spring, Urso argued that the matter of
McCaughey’s release should be reopened, citing statements made by Hodges to a local news station in which the officer said he was screaming for help. Urso’s filing latched onto the statement to undermine the government’s claim Hodges was “screaming out in pain.”
He also noted in the filing that Stevens, McCaughey’s co-defendent, was released without bond.
Urso said the conditions of his client’s release include not being able to possess weapons, GPS monitoring, and surrendering both his U.S. and German passports to federal probation officers in Bridgeport.