Man pictured sitting at Pelosi’s desk arrested
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday arrested an Arkansas man who was photographed sitting at a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office following the storming of the US Capitol by a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters, authorities announced.
Richard Barnett turned himself in to FBI agents at the Benton County sheriff’s office in Bentonville, Arkansas, said FBI Little Rock spokesman Connor Hagan. Barnett is jailed in the Washington County detention centre in nearby Fayetteville, Arkansas, without bond pending an initial court appearance.
Barnett is from Gravette in northwest Arkansas. He has identified himself on social media as a Trump supporter and gun rights advocate. Barnett, 60, was charged for entering Pelosi’s office, where he “left a note and removed some of the speaker’s mail”. He faces charges for knowingly entering restricted grounds without authority; violent entry and disorderly conduct; and theft of public property or records. If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison.
Authorities were able to identify Barnett through photos taken by news media. They also used footage from inside the Capitol and a video interview Barnett gave to a reporter.
Separately, a laptop was stolen from Pelosi’s office during the storming of the Capitol on Wednesday, one of her aides said on Friday. Drew Hammill, an aide to Democrat Pelosi, said on Twitter that the laptop was used for presentations.
Late on Friday, a man photographed carrying Pelosi’s lectern from the House chambers was arrested. Adam Christian Johnson, 36, of Parrish, Florida, was arrested on a warrant and booked into the Pinellas County jail. No bond was allowed.