‘It Was F***ing Fun’: Girlfriend’s Instagram Account Leads Undercover FBI Agents to Man Who Bragged He Stormed the Capitol

A Kentucky man is facing three charges after the FBI says he admitted to taking part in the Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C. Federal agents caught Stephen Chase Randolph , 31, of Harrodsburg, using photos and videos taken on the day of the deadly breach, facial recognition technology, his supposed girlfriend’s Instagram account, and an undercover interview with Randolph himself while he was at work. “[T]wo FBI agents, acting in an undercover capacity, surreptitiously recorded a conversation with RANDOLPH at his workplace,” reads an FBI statement of facts on file in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. “During the interaction, RANDOLPH, who identified himself as ‘Stephen,’ admitted attending the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.” The court papers continue by alleging Randolph bragged about his exploits — including watching a “female police officer get pushed over by barricades” and possibly suffering a concussion: RANDOLPH said he attended the former President’s speech but left early after hearing people would be going to the U.S. Capitol. RANDOLPH said that upon arriving at the area of the U.S. Capitol, there were steel barriers set up in front of a grassy area in front of the U.S. Capitol building and there were approximately 15 police officers spread out in this particular area. RANDOLPH said he was in this area for approximately 5 minutes before “shit went crazy” and that he was standing close to people who were throwing items at the police. RANDOLPH further stated “I was in it,” and “It was fucking fun” referring to being in the crowd at the U.S. Capitol. RANDOLPH said he witnesses a female police officer get pushed over by barricades and that her head had bounced off the handrails by the stairs. RANDOLPH opined that the female police officer likely had a concussion because she was curled up in the fetal position after being pushed to the ground. A press release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice said the officer was rendered unconscious. A video screen grab embedded within federal court documents shows Stephen Chase Randolph shoving a barricade and knocking an officer to the ground. Video from the scene showed Randolph “forcibly pushing and pulling” on “metal barricades, causing a USCP officer to fall and hit her head on the stairs before losing consciousness,” the press release added. “He continued to assault two other USCP officers by physically pushing, shoving, grabbing and generally resisting the officers.” According to court documents, the FBI identified the defendant in part through the Twitter account @SeditionHunters, which posted pictures of the man they eventually determined was Randolph. The defendant’s clothing (a grey Carhartt toboggan, a black jacket with a breast pocket on each side and stitching detail on each sleeve, and a grey turtleneck) were key spotting features which helped agents and tipsters track Randolph’s movements across multiple images and videos taken Jan. 6. FBI image 168-AFO shows a suspect identified later by federal agents as Stephen Chase Randolph. A clear image of the suspect’s face — originally known as image 168-AFO — was submitted to what the FBI called “an open source facial comparison tool, known to provide reliable results in the past.”  That “tool yielded results associated with the Instagram page” of an individual identified as someone believed to be Randolph’s girlfriend.  Several of the Instagram photos showed Randolph wearing the same clothes he wore at the capitol.  The Instagram account yielded a first name; subsequent checks through Facebook accounts of friends and relatives yielded the defendant’s first, middle, and last name.  The FBI then pulled Randolph’s driver’s license photo, which appeared to show the same person caught on video at the capitol. This partially redacted Instagram post embedded within federal court documents is what the FBI says helped crack the case. The defendant’s admission to undercover federal agents provided enough confirmation for the FBI to make an arrest.  According to court records, Randolph was wearing some of the same clothing mentioned above when agents talked to him at work. Randolph is charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer causing bodily injury; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; and obstruction of justice and Congress. Read the court papers below. US v Stephen Chase Randolph (Complaint & SOF) by Law&Crime on Scribd [images via the FBI and  federal court documents] The post ‘It Was F***ing Fun’: Girlfriend’s Instagram Account Leads Undercover FBI Agents to Man Who Bragged He Stormed the Capitol first appeared on Law & Crime .
‘It Was F***ing Fun’: Girlfriend’s Instagram Account Leads Undercover FBI Agents to Man Who Bragged He Stormed the Capitol posted first on http://realempcol.tumblr.com/rss

Woman Charged with Killing Ex-Girlfriend in Execution-Style Daylight Shooting Caught on Video

A woman attempts to enter a New York City deli around the lunch hour. A second woman runs up behind her, brandishes a gun, aims it at her target’s head and pulls the trigger. It’s all caught on video, and the New York Police Department says it happened in real life in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn around 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Latisha Bell , 38, of the Bronx, is now charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Officers identified the victim of the execution-style killing as Nichelle Thomas , 51. Bodega employees said Thomas was a regular at the deli and was well-liked, according to WNBC-TV . A neighbor described her as a “nice person.” Bell and Thomas had tumultuous, on-and-off relationship, the defendant’s sister told The New York Post. She said the defendant lived with mental illness and that Thomas returned to Bell every time she saw Bell doing better. “Domestic violence issues” plagued the couple, the relative said. She claimed that Thomas caused Bell to lose custody of her son. “She [Nichelle Thomas] was a sweet woman,” the sister said. “I never had an issue with her. She was a sweetheart. I don’t know her for anything other than being a sweetheart, and my sister is too, and this is what it led to.” The relative claimed Bell finally snapped: “she felt that she couldn’t take it no more and enough was enough.” She alleged that the victim was using her sister “for her own advantage,” but she did not explain precisely how. Nonetheless, she maintained that Thomas continued to be in a relationship with Bell despite knowing the defendant was mentally ill. “You don’t play with the mentally ill,” she said. This is horrifically sad. Park Slope is grieving for Nichelle Thomas tonight. https://t.co/jGrFUM8Cuj — Brad Lander (@bradlander) April 22, 2021 Neighbors also said that Thomas and Bell fought often. Prosecutors cited more than a dozen domestic violence reports between the two women. Bell was the aggressor in most of them, the Post said.  Neighbors told the paper that Thomas was peaceful. Bell reportedly surrendered to police and confessed. “I am turning myself in for the homicide,” she said, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Post . “The gun is inside the bag.” [Screengrab via NBC New York] The post Woman Charged with Killing Ex-Girlfriend in Execution-Style Daylight Shooting Caught on Video first appeared on Law & Crime .
Woman Charged with Killing Ex-Girlfriend in Execution-Style Daylight Shooting Caught on Video posted first on http://realempcol.tumblr.com/rss

Amish Teen Was Strangled, Suffocated, and Stabbed in the Neck After Being Kidnapped While Walking Home from Church on Father’s Day: Autopsy

A Friday coroner’s report revealed the worst: Linda Stoltzfoos , an Amish teen who had been missing for nearly a year, was strangled and then stabbed in the neck after she was kidnapped last Father’s Day. Officials in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania recovered the 18-year-old girl’s remains during a search for her on Wednesday. Her family was alerted to the discovery that same day and the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office quickly confirmed her identity through the use of dental records. According to Lancaster Online , Coroner’s Office Dr. Stephen Diamantoni said the official cause of death was asphyxia caused by strangulation and suffocation. He ruled the girl’s death a homicide and is conducting a series of routine additional tests to determine if Stoltzfoos was the victim of sexual assault before she died. Stoltzfoos’s body was found wrapped in a tarp, according to PennLive.com . She was buried roughly 42 inches underneath Amtrak railroad property near the Dutchland, Inc. water treatment plant where the lead suspect in her murder, Justo Smoker , 35, worked at the time of the girl’s disappearance and death. East Lampeter Township Police Department Authorities believe she was previously buried behind a business in Ronks, Pa. just off a state highway. That business was just down the road from Bird-in-Hand, Pa., where Stoltzfoos was last seen alive wearing a tan dress with a white apron and cape. At the initial site, the girl’s blue bra and white stockings were discovered near a sliced zip tie and a disturbed pile of dirt. Smoker was arrested after authorities juxtaposed surveillance footage of the suspect allegedly driving his red Kia Rio through Bird-in-Hand on the day Stoltzfoos disappeared with eyewitness testimony. According to Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams , an eyewitness reported seeing an Amish woman with “pleading eyes” in the seat of a red car on the day in question. Additional surveillance footage along with cellular phone records also showed that Smoker was at the suspected initial burial site some seven times late June last year, according to authorities. Charging documents obtained by local NBC affiliate WGAL-TV also allege that Smoker’s DNA was recovered from one of the stockings. The suspect was arrested in August 2020 on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges in the Stoltzfoos case. Those charges were upgraded to criminal homicide in December. He is currently being held without bail in the Lancaster County Jail and awaiting trial. Smoker has pleaded not guilty. According to local Fox affiliate WPMT-TV , the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police were “confident” earlier this week that the remains belonged to the girl who disappeared on her way home from church. Friday’s autopsy report puts a grim chapter in her story to rest. “Yesterday’s discovery while sad and perhaps shocking to some, in an odd way, it was a good day for law enforcement,” Adams said during a recent press conference . “We provided closure for the family. One of the main goals in this case was bringing Linda home.” Stoltzfoos previously lived in Upper Leacock Township and was heading home to change for a youth group meeting when authorities say she was abducted. The FBI previously offered a $10,000 reward for information about her kidnapping. That offer has since been rescinded. [image via the Pennsylvania State Police] The post Amish Teen Was Strangled, Suffocated, and Stabbed in the Neck After Being Kidnapped While Walking Home from Church on Father’s Day: Autopsy first appeared on Law & Crime .
Amish Teen Was Strangled, Suffocated, and Stabbed in the Neck After Being Kidnapped While Walking Home from Church on Father’s Day: Autopsy posted first on http://realempcol.tumblr.com/rss

‘Patriots Don’t Stoop Low Like Antifa’: Texas Woman Admits Online that She and Her Husband ‘Fought Cops’ at U.S. Capitol, Feds Say

The Department of Justice says that a Forestburg, Texas couple was arrested on Wednesday, April 21 for allegedly assaulting cops who were dispatched to man barricades at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Mark Middleton , 52, and Jalise Middleton , 51, made their first appearances in federal court on Thursday in the Lone Star State. According to the FBI’s statement of facts , there was ample evidence that the couple participated in the Jan. 6 siege, and some of the evidence was provided by the suspects themselves on social media. Importantly, however, tipsters identified only as acquaintances who saw those Facebook posts agreed to FBI interviews and told the feds what they saw. One of those tipsters was described as the parent of girl who is an acquaintance of defendant Jalise Middleton.  Some of the tipsters are referred to in court documents only by the pronoun “it” in an apparent attempt to avoid identifying the tipster’s gender. “The tipster reported that ITS daughter had seen numerous posts and photos on J MIDDLETON’s Facebook page following the Capitol riots indicating that J MIDDLETON had participated in the riot,” court documents say. Those posts and photos were not long for this world, however, because Jalise Middleton allegedly deleted them “about two days after posting them,” the feds said. A second tipster reported that “an acquaintance of ITS mother informed IT that ITS mother had travelled to Washington, DC on or about January 6, 2021, with a group of people including” both Middletons. The tipster said the “acquaintance of ITS mother” believed the suspects “had an altercation with a police officer at the Capitol.” The precise familial relationships are somewhat lost in the cloak of the translation, but the bottom line, prosecutors allege, is that people were talking about the defendants causing trouble in D.C. Plus, the tipsters suggested that witnesses could pinpoint the defendants’ travels. The government says that Metropolitan Police officers identified only T.T. and R.C. were assaulted by a group of rioters at the barricades of the “West Front” of the Capitol building on Jan. 6. Mark Middleton and Jalise Middleton allegedly took part in the attack. As the struggle ensues, a male individual wearing a red, white, and blue “Trump” beanie hat, red and white scarf, gray or silver jacket, blue jeans, red and white “Nike” shoes, and gray backpack with a red logo on the back—later identified as Mark Middleton (“M MIDDLETON”)— pushes against the barricades and the police line with his body. As officers repeatedly order M MIDDLETON and other rioters to “get back,” M MIDDLETON is heard yelling “fuck you!” as he continues pushing against the barricade. At the same time, a female individual wearing a red, white, and blue “Trump 2020” beanie hat, red, white, and blue scarf, gray jacket, red shirt, and gold ring with what appears to be diamonds—later identified as Jalise Middleton (“J MIDDLETON”)—repeatedly grabs and strikes T.T. over the barricade with her hand. From here, the statement of facts discussed the Facebook posts the couple allegedly posted to their respective accounts. Mark Middleton allegedly recorded himself saying something incriminating. “We are on the front lines. We helped push down the barriers. Jalise and I got pepper sprayed, clubbed, and tear gassed. We had to retreat, but more patriots pushed forward, and they’re taking back our house,” Middleton was quoted as saying. “They’ve got the giant flag up on the upper terrace up there. No more fooling around! Jalise and I gotta go back to the hotel and try to recoup and change, get dry clothes on. Make America great again! Freedom!” Additional comments attributed to Mark Middleton do not appear to be exculpatory. Jalise Middleton allegedly admitted in Facebook comments that she and her husband “fought cops,” were “on the front lines,” and ultimately got “bruised and pepper sprayed.” “Patriots busted through barrierers [sic] to get in Capital [sic]. Best I know there was no ‘looting or rioting,'” Jalise Middleton allegedly said on the evening of Jan. 6. “We just sent a warning that we are serious.” “Patriots don’t stoop low like Antifa,” she went on. The fixation on Antifa continued on Jan. 7: “Patriots surged, just to show strength, Antifa went in to make ya look bad.” The Middletons each face the following seven charges:  (1) assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers; (2) obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; (3) obstruction of justice/congress; (4) knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; (5) disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; (6) engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; (7) violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds. [Images via FBI] The post ‘Patriots Don’t Stoop Low Like Antifa’: Texas Woman Admits Online that She and Her Husband ‘Fought Cops’ at U.S. Capitol, Feds Say first appeared on Law & Crime .
‘Patriots Don’t Stoop Low Like Antifa’: Texas Woman Admits Online that She and Her Husband ‘Fought Cops’ at U.S. Capitol, Feds Say posted first on http://realempcol.tumblr.com/rss

Kentucky Man Indicted for Killing 17-Year-Old Cheerleader in Drug-Fueled, Wrong-Way Crash While Driving Stolen Truck

Crash site; Michael Jacob Dewitt (right, in orange) The case against Michael Jacob Dewitt , 28, took its next step on Thursday, with a grand jury in Jefferson County, Kentucky indicting for murder in the March 1 death of Madelynn Troutt , 17. The Commonwealth’s Attorney Office of the 30th Judicial Circuit says Dewitt is scheduled for an arraignment on Thursday, April 29. Authorities say the defendant is responsible for the fatal crash, taking the life of the young girl. This was the alleged end to a crime spree. Dewitt, a Louisville man , landed on authorities’ radar after he knocked on a person’s door in Shelby County, asking for “John,” Shelby County Sheriff Mark Moore  said, according to WDRB . The homeowner got suspicious and called 911. Authorities found Dewitt in a stolen vehicle from Jefferson County. “Mr. Dewitt began driving at oncoming vehicles and throwing things from his vehicle,” the sheriff said. The defendant allegedly fled from the vehicle, crossing the barrier wall, running south onto the interstate and into the woods. He started going to homes, changing clothing, picked up a safe, and stole jewelry and guns, Sheriff Moore said. Michael Jacob Dewitt Dewitt allegedly drove a four-wheeler to a home, and stole a truck. “He was throwing things into the passenger side,” the homeowner identified as Susan told the Fox-affiliated news station. The homeowner said the defendant pulled a gun on her, and told her to go. Investigators said Dewitt later crashed the stolen Ford F-350 into Troutt. Dewitt was allegedly driving northbound but crossed into the southbound side of Dixie Highway, hitting into the victim’s car head-on, according to The Courier Journal . Dewitt attempted to flee, but bystanders kept him at the scene for police, cops said. Troutt died at the hospital. Dewitt sustained what authorities described as minor injuries. He allegedly had a “high level” of amphetamines and benzodiazepines in his system. “To know that it was our truck and a young life was taken, that’s been the unbearable part,” Susan said.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Bailey Troutt Photography (@baileytrouttphotography) Troutt, a student and cheerleader at Butler High School, planned to study nursing at Bellarmine University, said the college, which started a scholarship in her memory . HAPPENING NOW: friends and classmates of 17-yr-old Madelynn Troutt gather at Butler High School for a vigil. She was killed when police say she was hit by a wrong-way driver Monday. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/esK8kTMqYJ — Joel Schipper (@JSchipperWDRB) March 3, 2021 A GoFundMe campaign started in her name has raised $25,640 of a $2,000 goal as of Friday afternoon. Dewitt is charged with murder, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicants, failure to stop and render aid, as well as firearms, drug, and theft charges in connection to this and other incidents, authorities said. [Images via WLKY screengrabs; mugshot via Louisville Metro Department of Corrections] The post Kentucky Man Indicted for Killing 17-Year-Old Cheerleader in Drug-Fueled, Wrong-Way Crash While Driving Stolen Truck first appeared on Law & Crime .
Kentucky Man Indicted for Killing 17-Year-Old Cheerleader in Drug-Fueled, Wrong-Way Crash While Driving Stolen Truck posted first on http://realempcol.tumblr.com/rss

‘Touch Me and See What’s Up!’: Body Cam Video Shows Cop Fatally Shooting Man Who Brandished Knife in California Intersection

Tyrell Wilson brandished a knife seconds before he was shot. Warning: the video below is graphic. Body camera and other video released this week shows a confrontation which led to the eventual police shooting of Tyrell Wilson , 32, in Danville, Calif., on March 11. Officer Andrew Hall , a 7-and-a-half-year veteran of the Danville Police Department, confronted Wilson in an intersection, the video shows. When Hall pulled the trigger, his body camera revealed that he appeared to have a sticker of a “Thin Blue Line” flag attached to his service weapon. Andrew Hall’s gun has what appears to be a sticker of a “Thin Blue Line” flag attached to its grip. A March 11 press release from the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said Hall was dispatched at 11:48 a.m. after police “received several calls from motorists regarding a person who was throwing rocks off the Sycamore Valley Road overpass onto Highway 680.” (In California, that suspected crime would seem to qualify as both assault with a deadly weapon and battery .) The news release continues: A Danville Police Officer arrived at the scene and contacted the subject in question in the area of Sycamore Valley Road and Camino Ramon. The officer approached the subject who was standing on the street. As the officer tried to talk to him, the subject pulled out a folding knife and then opened it. The officer ordered him to drop the knife several times. He then advanced toward the officer, who discharged his weapon striking the subject once. The fire department and an ambulance were called and responded to the scene. The subject was taken to a local hospital where he is being treated at this time. A subsequent release dated March 13 identified both Wilson and Hall. Wilson was described as “a 32-year-old transient who was staying in the area of the Danville Sycamore Valley Park & Ride on Sycamore Valley Road.” He was listed in critical condition. Hall was said to have been placed on “paid administrative leave per department policy.” A third release dated March 17 indicated that Wilson died at the hospital: The Office of the Sheriff recognizes the impact an event like this can have on the community and is committed to full transparency of all the facts. Sheriff’s investigators continue to work with the District Attorney’s Office on investigating this incident pursuant to the countywide law enforcement involved fatal incident protocol. Body camera video of the March 11 incident was released on April 21, about the time Hall was charged with voluntary manslaughter in an unrelated deadly on-duty shooting in 2018. The body camera video shows Hall exiting his squad car and approaching Wilson at the same intersection where the shooting occurred.   “Hey, buddy,” Hall yelled to Wilson. “Come here for one — real quick. Come here. Come here.” “No,” Wilson said. “Come here!” Hall said several times in quick succession. “Who are you?” Wilson repeatedly asked. “You’re jaywalking now,” Hall said.  “Get over here.” Hall called for “cover” on his police radio. “Come here,” Hall continued to ask. “No,” Wilson continued to say as Hall approached. “We’re not playing this game, dude,” Hall said. “I’m not playing this game, either,” Wilson said. “You’re jaywalking; you’re throwing rocks,” Hall said. “And who are you?” Wilson asked. “Officer Hall of the Danville Police,” Hall responded. “Authority of what?”  Wilson appeared to retort several times in response. “Touch me and see what’s up!” Wilson then said at least twice. Wilson produced a knife in his right hand. Several freeze frames from Andrew Hall’s body camera video show Tyrell Wilson’s knife. Video from other angles also released by the sheriff’s office shows Hall advancing toward Wilson during most of the encounter as Wilson walked or backed away. After Wilson drew the knife, Wilson took several steps toward Hall before Hall pulled the trigger split seconds later. Though the video was blurred, Hall appeared to have shot Wilson in the head. A screen capture from a stopped motorist’s dash cam shows Wilson advance on Hall split seconds before he was shot. Though it is difficult to see due to the white service van in the background, Hall’s arms are outstretched, and he is holding his pistol. “Hey, why’d you shoot him man?” someone off camera yelled to Hall several times after the shooting. “I’m fine, just — you know,” Hall later said when a responding officer asked him if he was okay. Officers who began arriving at the scene donned gloves and tried to help Wilson, but their visages appeared to express bewilderment and surprise at Wilson’s wounds.  None asked Hall what transpired. Hall eventually moved to a nearby cruiser and shut off his body camera video when another officer told him it was okay to do so. Around the time of the release of the video, Hall was charged criminally for shooting and killing Laudemere Arboleda during a Nov. 2018 traffic pursuit. Hall shot Arboleda nine times, Contra Costa County District Attorney Diane Becton said during a news conference. Hall’s defense attorney is arguing that shooting qualifies as self-defense and as the defense of another. “When Officer Hall fired his weapon, he felt not only was his life in the imminent danger by virtue of this car approaching him, but he felt his Sergeant’s life was in danger as well because he saw a sergeant arrive and believed his sergeant was in the path of the car,” Hall’s attorney Michael Rains told San Francisco ABC affiliate KGO-TV. Becton believes otherwise. “Officer Hall used unnecessary and unreasonable force when he responded to the in-progress traffic pursuit involving Laudemere Arboleda, endangering not only Mr. Arboleda’s, life but the lives of fellow officers and citizens in the immediate area,” she said . [all images via body camera video released by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office] The post ‘Touch Me and See What’s Up!’: Body Cam Video Shows Cop Fatally Shooting Man Who Brandished Knife in California Intersection first appeared on Law & Crime .
‘Touch Me and See What’s Up!’: Body Cam Video Shows Cop Fatally Shooting Man Who Brandished Knife in California Intersection posted first on http://realempcol.tumblr.com/rss

Oath Keeper’s Chilling Exchange About Nancy Pelosi Keeps Him Behind Bars in Capitol Siege Case

Oath Keepers approach the U.S. Capitol in “stack” formation, prosecutors say in this indictment of nine members. The arrow points to Florida chapter leader Kelly Meggs. An Oath Keepers leader’s chilling correspondence with another person who allegedly fantasized about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “head rolling down the front steps” persuaded a federal judge on Friday that he should be kept behind bars pending trial. Chafing at his incarceration, the militia group’s Florida leader Kelly Meggs urged a federal judge to reverse a previous decision denying his pre-trial release . In a dense, 3-page order, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta  offered many reasons why his prior ruling should not be disturbed. But the most eye-opening rationale appeared on the third page. “During the detention hearing of co-defendant Kenneth Harrelson , the government produced evidence that, once inside the Capitol building, defendant and others walked to the north side of the Capitol toward the Senate chamber, only to be turned away by police officers. […] Defendant and others then walked to the south side of the Capitol toward the House chamber. […] He apparently was searching for at least one member of Congress in particular—House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.” (citations omitted) According to the ruling, an unidentified third party sent a message that he “[w]as hoping to see Nancy’s head rolling down the front steps” to Meggs, who was quoted replying: “We looked forward her.” The judge noted: “The word ‘forward’ is almost certainly a typo, and what defendant meant to convey is that he and others ‘looked for’ Speaker Pelosi. This new evidence only confirms the court’s original assessment of defendant’s dangerousness, and that his release would endanger the community.” Prosecutors also alleged that the Oath Keeper leader and his wife Connie Meggs joked about destroying evidence in an exchange in which she cracked about the clothing and gear that he wore to the Capitol: “should have had your gear on hero LOL.” Her husband jocularly responded:“I lost it all in a boating accident.” Kelly Meggs produced the gear to the government in arguing that his detention order was based on a misunderstanding. But Judge Mehta found that implausible, finding it more likely that Meggs hid the evidence and produced it when he though it could benefit him. Defendant’s production of the clothing and gear he wore on January 6 does not alter the court’s conclusion that no combination of conditions would ensure the safety of the community. For one, although defendant suggests that the FBI was negligent in failing to locate the evidence during the search, and that it was “at the residence” all along, […] defendant does not represent where within his residence the clothing and gear were located. The court shares the government’s skepticism that law enforcement just overlooked this key evidence. As the government details, there were 19 law enforcement officers present, and they “were specifically looking for the clothing and items that Kelly and Connie Meggs were wearing on January 6.” […] The officers searched 22 rooms, “a garage, a shed, a travel trailer, and three additional vehicles.” […] It is unlikely that they just missed the Oath Keeper clothing and tactical gear they were actively seeking. The more probable scenario is that the evidence was initially hidden and then produced only when doing so was deemed beneficial to defendant. The court’s concern about defendant’s potential secreting of evidence therefore has not abated. (Citations omitted) Mehta also cited Meggs’s use of encrypted communications in noted that it would be difficult for the government to detect him, if he were released. (Screenshot from Oath Keepers indictment) The post Oath Keeper’s Chilling Exchange About Nancy Pelosi Keeps Him Behind Bars in Capitol Siege Case first appeared on Law & Crime .
Oath Keeper’s Chilling Exchange About Nancy Pelosi Keeps Him Behind Bars in Capitol Siege Case posted first on http://realempcol.tumblr.com/rss