Two more Missouri men arrested Friday, charged with crimes in Jan. 6 Capitol riot
Federal authorities on Friday arrested a University of Missouri engineering graduate and a Springfield man for their alleged involvement in the deadly U.S. Capitol invasion last month.
Zachary John Wilson of Springfield was taken into custody without incident by FBI agents on federal charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building, a misdemeanor, the FBI announced in a news release Friday.
Nicholas Burton Reimler, 28, charged with violent entry and entering a restricted building or grounds, made his first appearance in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Friday and was released on his own recognizance pending his next court hearing.
Friday’s cases bring to nine the number of Missouri residents who have been charged in the Capitol insurrection.
Reimler’s charges are misdemeanors. Violent entry or disorderly conduct at the Capitol carries a maximum six-month sentence and $10,000 fine, and knowingly entering a restricted building carries a maximum one-year sentence and $100,000 fine.
Reimler, of Cedar Hill, graduated from the University of Missouri in 2014 with a degree in civil and environmental engineering, according to his Facebook page. Records show that between 2014 and early 2018, he worked for the Missouri Department of Transportation as a materials inspector, initially making $46,000, and then $55,000 a year. He told a judge Friday he is currently working, but he did not appear to be a state employee as of Friday.
According to his Facebook page, he started working in quality control for Fred Weber Inc. in Maryland Heights in January 2018. In March 2019, it shows, he accepted a position at the company’s San Marcos Sand & Gravel location in Texas. He transferred back to the St. Louis area in August 2020 to work as a technical services manager.
Missouri federal prosecutors, who handled Reimler’s case only for his Friday initial appearance before turning it over to authorities in Washington, D.C., did not detail the allegations against him. The charging document remains sealed, and a court date in Washington has not been set.
Reimler posted on Facebook in late December about going to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.
On Dec. 30, he shared a post from former President Donald Trump that said, “JANUARY SIXTH, SEE YOU IN DC!”
“You going?” someone asked.
“Maybe,” Reimler responded. Then later, “I’m going. Leaving Tuesday evening, coming back Thursday night.”
“Are you driving?” the friend asked.
“With 2 guys from work,” he replied.
Another friend wrote: “Please go!! Represent those of us who will be there in spirit! So proud of you young people loving our country!!”
A probable cause affidavit unsealed on Friday said the FBI became aware of Wilson’s alleged involvement in the Capitol breach after receiving an anonymous tip. The tipster said Wilson had posted on his Facebook account that he’d entered the Capitol and that, while inside, went into Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office. The tipster provided a screenshot of Wilson’s now-deleted Facebook post.
In the post, a friend asked Wilson: “Did you go inside the capital building?”
“First ones in!!!!” Wilson replied. “First thing we found was Pelosi’s office.”
The friend said, “you’re lucky you aren’t in jail. That wasn’t real smart.”
Wilson responded: “I didn do anything wrong.”
An agent interviewed Wilson at his residence on Jan. 20 and Wilson admitted to entering Pelosi’s office, the affidavit said. Wilson also recorded an 18-second video taken inside the Speaker’s office, which he provided to the agent, it said.
“Wilson stated the reason he entered the U.S. Capitol was because he wanted his ‘voice to be heard’ as he was a strong supporter of President Donald Trump,” the affidavit said. “Wilson said that he did not participate in any destruction of property while at the U.S. Capitol.“
The actions on Friday come after other arrests have occurred elsewhere in Missouri.
On Feb. 12, Michael Aaron Quick and Stephen Brian Quick, both of Springfield, were arrested for their alleged role in the Capitol riot. They were each charged with disorderly conduct, parading and demonstrating in the Capitol building. Both men surrendered to the FBI, the agency said.
On Feb. 10, Louis Enrique Colon of Blue Springs was charged with conspiracy for his alleged involvement in the riot. He is accused of being part of a group of Proud Boys from the Kansas City area who invaded the Capitol. The others charged in the alleged conspiracy are William Chrestman and Christopher Kuehne, of Olathe.
The three, along with two siblings from Arizona, are accused of conspiring 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.”
On Jan. 28, FBI agents and police in Springfield arrested Zachary Martin on charges of engaging in illegal activities on Capitol grounds, disorderly conduct and demonstrating inside the Capitol. And Emily Hernandez, of Sullivan, Missouri, was charged on Jan. 19 in connection with the riot. Her uncle, William Merry Jr., and Paul Westover, both of the St. Louis area, were charged on Feb. 4.
This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 4:37 PM.
