Lawmaker charged after joining Capitol mob
CHARLESTON, W.VA. >> A Republican West Virginia state lawmaker has been federally charged for entering a restricted area of the U. S. Capitol after he livestreamed himself rushing into the building with a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters.
Ken Kohl, a top deputy federal prosecutor in Washington, announced the case against state Del. Derrick Evans on a call in which he presented dozens of new charges against members of the crowd that violently stormed the Capitol on Wednesday.
He appeared before a federal judge in Huntington, West Virginia, on Friday afternoon after being arrested, news outlets reported. If convicted, he faces up to a year and a half in federal prison for two misdemeanors: entering a restricted area and disorderly conduct.
Federal Magistrate Judge Cheryl Eifert released him on his own recognizance. Wearing a hoodie and a face mask to protect against the coronavirus, Evans did not answer reporters’ questions as he left the courthouse and quickly got into a vehicle.
His lawyer, John Bryan, said in an email that he hadn’t seen the complaint against Evans and couldn’t comment.
Television station WSAZ posted a video on Twitter showing FBI agents escorting the handcuffed lawmaker from a home.
“He’s a fine man. And thank you, Mr. Trump, for inviting a riot at the White House,” a woman identifying herself as Evans’ grandmother told station reporters as her grandson was being taken into custody.