Couple arrested for alleged role in Capitol riot

BROWNSBURG, Ind. — A suburban Indianapolis couple was arrested Wednesday on charges alleging that they took part in the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Arthur Reyher, 38, and Jessica Reyher, 38, were arrested in Indiana on a felony civil disorder charge and four misdemeanors, prosecutors said in a news release.

The Brownsburg residents, who were charged in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, appeared Wednesday in federal court in Indianapolis. They were released without bond, told to surrender thei passports and to restrict their travel, WISH-TV reported.

Online court records do not list attorneys who could speak the Reyhers’ behalf.

A criminal complaint alleges the couple was among the first group of rioters to enter the tunnel areas of the Capitol, The Indianapolis Star reported.

They allegedly entered the tunnel near the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace three separate times on Jan. 6, 2021, joining others pushing against police officers while trying to enter the Capitol. The complaint alleges the mob’s pushing pinned one officer against a shield and a door, causing him pain.

Arthur Reyher was seen on officer body camera footage and surveillance cameras chanting “Our House” as they pushed, the complaint alleges. The pushing continued for several minutes until police shoved the rioters, including the Reyhers, out of the area.

Investigators said an anonymous tipster told them the Reyhers were posting on Facebook about their involvement in the riot.

Arthur Reyher allegedly told law enforcement he and his wife were at the Capitol, and said he believed former President Donald Trump lost the election because of voter fraud.