Non-jury trial for 4 charged in riot

Afghan veteran said to be instigator of attacks

Former Army Ranger Robert Morss, the Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, man charged with storming the Capitol and assaulting police in support of former President Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election, will go on trial without a jury on Aug. 29 in the District of Columbia.

U.S. District Judge Trevor Mcfadden on Tuesday set a bench trial date for Morss and three other defendants.

All four face felony charges related to attacking police during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, and all elected to choose a bench trial. A second group of accused rioters is awaiting trial.

Morss, a 29-year-old Afghanistan combat veteran, faces a lengthy prison term if convicted. Federal prosecutors said he was a leader and an instigator during the riot. Video shows him attacking police in a Capitol tunnel, according to the FBI.

He had previously tried to get some of the 53 counts against him tossed out, but the judge rejected his attempts.

He will be tried along with Patrick Mccaughey, of Ridgefield, Connecticut; Tristan Stevens, of Pensacola, Florida; and David Mehaffie, of Kettering, Ohio.

Morss served three tours in Afghanistan and then worked briefly as a substitute teacher in the Shaler district. He is among some two dozen people from the Western District of Pennsylvania and nearby regions accused of storming the Capitol in response to Trump’s claim that he won the 2020 election.

U.S. Department of Justice Robert Morss, of Glenshaw, Pa., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Red circles on his attire were added by federal prosecutors.