2 area residents face charges in Capitol riot
Englewood man, Piqua woman charged over possible roles in siege.
At least seven people from the Dayton region have now been arrested by the FBI for their alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol siege.
Therese Borgerding of Piqua and Walter J. Messer of Englewood were arrested Wednesday, the Cincinnati FBI announced on social media.
The arrests came on the second day of the House investigation into the insurrection.
Both are charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and parade, demonstrate or picket in any of the Capitol buildings. The cases against them were filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The riot and deadly attack happened after a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters tried to overturn the November 2020 election by disrupting the joint session of Congress where the Electoral
Vote would be counted to formalize President Joe Biden’s victory.
The FBI received an anonymous tip Jan. 9 about three people present at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 who posted photos and videos on social media. One person was identified as Messer, and the other two as Borgerding and her husband, according to a statement of facts filed in their cases.
A public post made by Messer on Jan. 8 on Facebook stated, “Joe Biden is claiming Trump supporters were taking selfies with the capitol police. This is true. I’m glad the police took time out for these selfies during the fake riot.”
Borgerding also made posts on social media about her
involvement in the attack, including one made to a relative that read, “YES I was inside the Capitol Building for a long time. You don’t know The Truth what really happened,” the court document stated.
Facebook records show images of Messer and the Borgerdings from both inside
and outside the Capitol building, according to records. In one photo, Borgerding is shown on the steps of the Capitol holding a “Q” sign. Although the documents allege that Borgerding’s husband is shown with her in some of the images, no charges have been filed against him.
Five other people in the region have been charged in the Capitol riot: Timothy Hart of Huber Heights; Champaign County residents Donovan Crowl and Jessica Watkins; and Warren County couple Sandra and Bennie Parker.
Five people died in the attack or its aftermath, and dozens of law enforcement officers were injured. More than 500 people have been charged with federal crimes.
Such political division over how Jan. 6 unfolded has occurred in communities across the country. Forty-seven percent of Republicans say it can be described as a “legitimate protest,” while only 13% of Democrats say the same, according to a June poll from Monmouth University.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 81% of Democrats say it’s “extremely” or “very” important that investigations continue into what happened during the Capitol breach, but just 38% of Republicans say the same.