Three Ohio men charged in breach
One accused of taking coat rack from building
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Three more Ohioans have been charged with illegally entering the U.S. Capitol as part of a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump, including one man accused of stealing a coat rack while he was in the building.
In northeastern Ohio, the FBI on Monday arrested Stephen Ayres for breaching the U.S. Capitol based on his Facebook posts he made before, during and after Jan. 6 and an identification by a family member.
Ayres and an unnamed man in a video posted to Facebook discuss how police escorted them from one end of the Capitol to the other, according to a criminal complaint.
Police “basically let everyone walk in,” Ayres said in the video, according to the complaint.
Ayres says in the live video that the Capitol breach “was just the beginning” and there was “more to come next week.”
According to the affidavit, authorities reviewed surveillance footage from inside the Capitol and were able to identify both the man and Ayres inside the lobby of the building’s Senate wing.
Ayres was arrested on preliminary charges of obstruction of justice, illegally entering the capital and violent and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds.
In central Ohio, Dustin Thompson and Robert Lyon also face preliminary charges of illegally entering the Capitol and violent and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Thompson is also accused of stealing the coat rack.
Federal magistrate Judge Chelsey Vascura released both Thompson and Lyon on their own recognizance without posting bail following a short hearing. They weren’t required to enter a plea.
Both must surrender their passports and can’t travel out of Ohio unless it’s to Washington, D.C., and then only for appearing in court, where their case will be prosecuted.
Thompson faces up to 2½ years in prison if convicted, and Lyon faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted.
Lyon told FBI agents the two drove to Washington together and that it was Thompson’s idea to go. The two had known each other for a few years and had met at a university, according to an FBI affidavit detailing the alleged crimes.