Windermere police officer arrested in Capitol riot along with ex-Apopka cop son

A Windermere Police Department officer resigned and was arrested Thursday on charges that he participated in the January riot at the U.S. Capitol — the first member of Central Florida law enforcement to face charges in the attempted insurrection.

After federal prosecutors announced the arrests of Officer Kevin A. Tuck and his son Nathaniel A. Tuck, a former Apopka police officer, they both appeared before a judge at the federal courthouse in downtown Orlando.

In court, prosecutors accused Kevin Tuck, 51, and Nathaniel Tuck, 29, of five charges, including obstructing an official proceeding, aiding and abetting, entering restricted grounds, disorderly conduct inside the Capitol building, and parading or picketing inside an official building.

Kevin Tuck was also charged with entering and remaining in the gallery of Congress, while Nathaniel Tuck was also charged with obstructing a law enforcement officer.

Prosecutors said the younger Tuck was inside the Capitol when an officer tried to stop him. He used his open palm to strike the officer and, when the officer grabbed him again, used his elbow to strike the officer’s hand before walking further into the building, authorities say.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Harrington said

both men sent messages to family members in a group chat during the riot.

“We stormed the Capitol, fought the police,” Kevin Tuck allegedly wrote to his family. “… We took the flag. It’s our flag.”

Both were released after agreeing to several conditions, including refraining from having any guns or weapons in their possession or homes. U.S. Magistrate Judge Embry Kidd agreed to allow Nathaniel Tuck’s wife, who is a Longwood police officer, to keep her agency-issued weapons in the home as long as they are in a secure place her husband can’t access.

Kidd said he would accept prosecutors’ recommendation that father and son remain free, though the allegations against Nathaniel Tuck of resisting an officer were “troubling.”

Both men declined to comment outside the courthouse, though Nathaniel Tuck said he would comment after the case was over. The father and son indicated in court they could not afford counsel, so Kidd appointed them attorneys. Defense lawyers for the Tucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kevin Tuck joined the Windermere Police Department in May 2019, before becoming a reserve officer and later accepting a fulltime post in October 2019, Ogden said in an emailed statement. He had previously worked for the Longwood Police Department for about six years.

Ogden in a statement said his agency was “disheartened” by Tuck’s arrest.

“The Windermere Police Department... has worked tirelessly over the past eight years to build a reputation of serving with Honor, Integrity and Service to our residents and this arrest doesn’t reflect on the hard work of the men and women of the Windermere Police Department,” Ogden said.

Tuck had no disciplinary history with the agency, Ogden said.

The chief said the FBI had interviewed Tuck Thursday and informed WPD that he would face charges, Ogden said.

“Officer Kevin Tuck resigned from the agency effective immediately and I accepted his resignation. WPD will move forward with an Internal Investigation which is customary,” Ogden said.

According to a June 2019 Facebook post by Ogden, Tuck was also the senior pastor at Lighthouse Church in Apopka.

The Apopka Police Department said Thursday that Nathaniel Tuck was a full-time officer with the agency from March 2018 to August 2020, then served as a reserve officer until that September.

“Mr. Tuck was not employed by the Apopka Police Department at the time of the incident that led to his arrest,” APD spokesperson Sgt. Kim Walsh said in a statement. “The Apopka Police Department became aware of the FBI’s investigation of Mr. Tuck and cooperated with their investigation.”

According to Ogden’s statement, a fellow officer in January raised concerns about Kevin Tuck, prompting WPD to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which at the time said it had no indication Tuck had been inside the Capitol. Tuck also denied entering the building.

The FBI contacted Ogden again July 7, the chief said, informing him that a warrant was being prepared for Tuck’s arrest.

More than 50 people from Florida have so far been arrested in connection with the riot, the most of any state, according to CBS News. In total, more than 530 people have been arrested across the country as authorities continue to identify those who stormed the Capitol.

Dozens of those arrested nationwide have been current or former police officers or members of the military. The Tucks are the first known members of law enforcement arrested in Central Florida, though the husband of an Orange County deputy was also swept up.

The husband, Arthur Jackman, is a member of the far-right nationalist Proud Boys and vice president of the group’s Orlando chapter. His arrest prompted an internal Sheriff ’s Office investigation of his wife, Deputy Sarah Jackman, but the agency cleared her of involvement or wrongdoing.

Another local first responder, Sanford Fire Department paramedic and firefighter Andrew Williams, was arrested days after the riot. Leaked videos showed him boasting as he and others marauded through the Capitol.

Experts have for years sounded alarms about the potential for far-right extremism among members of law enforcement. The FBI issued a bulletin warning against the “infiltration” of law enforcement by white supremacists as long ago as 2006, both as a method of recruitment and to disrupt investigations into fellow extremists.

It’s unclear if the Tucks have any extremist ties.

Federal authorities have said far-right groups including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were involved in organizing the riot. Those arrested in Central Florida have ranged widely in age, profession — including a charter boat captain and a high school teacher — and degree of radicalism.

On Jan. 6, following an incendiary speech by then-President Trump and fueled by his false claims that his defeat in the 2020 election was the result of widespread fraud, a mob overran the Capitol while Congress was working to certify the election of President Joe Biden.