Gardner man is third from Johnson County arrested in connection to Jan. 6 Capitol riot
Federal agents have arrested another Johnson County man in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the FBI said Monday.
Ryan Keith Ashlock, of Gardner, is part of a group of Kansas City-area Proud Boys who have been charged in the aftermath of the deadly riot, according to documents unsealed in the case.
Prosecutors allege Ashlock conspired with the others “to corruptly obstruct, influence, or impede an official proceeding before Congress” and “to obstruct, impede, or interfere with a law enforcement officer during the commission of a civil disorder.”
Ashlock was taken into custody Monday morning without incident on an arrest warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton said in an email.
Ashlock, 21, was arrested on federal charges of conspiracy; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; obstruction of justice/Congress; and knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, Patton said.
The arrest marks the third Johnson County resident charged in connection with the Capitol invasion and the fourth Kansas resident.
According to a probable-cause affidavit, Ashlock spoke to federal authorities on Feb. 11 and admitted driving to Washington, D.C., with some members of a Kansas City Proud Boys group, lodging with some of them and coordinating their efforts to march on the Capitol on Jan. 6. But he denied that his actions were criminal, the affidavit said.
Five other members of that group have already been charged.
Proud Boys William “Billy” Chrestman and Christopher Kuehne of Olathe, Louis Enrique Colon of Blue Springs and siblings Felicia and Cory Konold from Arizona were charged Feb. 10 with conspiracy, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Chrestman, an Army veteran and unemployed union sheet metal worker, also was charged with threatening to assault a federal law enforcement officer and using and carrying a dangerous weapon during the commission of the offense. He could be seen on numerous videos alongside other Proud Boys during the insurrection, dressed in tactical gear, leading chants and wielding an ax handle inside the Capitol.
Chrestman remains in custody. Kuehne, Colon and the Konolds were released on their own recognizance pending trial.
According to the affidavit, Ashlock and the five others were among a large group that included Proud Boys who were advancing toward the Capitol.
“The group was engaged in various chants and response calls, including ‘F*** Antifa!’ and ‘Whose streets? Our streets!’” the affidavit said.
Ashlock was seen in photographs and videos wearing tactical gear, including a vest, goggles, knee pads, a respirator and gloves, according to the affidavit. And like the others in the alleged conspiracy, it said, Ashlock had fluorescent orange tape on his clothing.
At one point, the affidavit said, Ashlock engaged Capitol Police officers at barricades, pushing on the barriers until officers were able to repel him by using pepper spray. Though the others eventually entered the Capitol, the affidavit said a review of video footage did not show Ashlock inside the building.
When FBI agents arrested Chrestman, Kuehne and Colon on Feb. 11, the affidavit said, one of the men identified Ashlock as someone who was with them on Jan. 6. The man told agents that a group of them, including Ashlock, had driven together from Kansas City to Washington, D.C., and stayed in a short-term rental property.
The agents interviewed Ashlock on Feb. 11 at his workplace in Westwood, the affidavit said. He told them that he had become separated from the others outside the Capitol at some point, and that after being pepper sprayed by police he decided to leave the grounds.
The affidavit said authorities will continue to investigate other connections among the Kansas City Proud Boys group.
“There may be more persons involved in this particular conspiracy than the persons described throughout this affidavit,” it said.
A fourth Kansas resident, who was not alleged to be associated with the Kansas City Proud Boys, was taken into custody Feb. 12.
William A. Pope, of Topeka, is charged with obstruction or impeding an official proceeding; civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
Pope, 35, ran for Topeka City Council in 2019 and is listed as a Kansas State University doctoral student. He told local journalists in January that he reported himself to the FBI. He said he was at the Capitol to exercise his First Amendment rights and did nothing violent.
The Star’s Bryan Lowry contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 4:09 PM.
