Kansas City-area Proud Boy pleads guilty to one felony count in Capitol insurrection
A Kansas City-area Proud Boy pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to a felony charge for obstructing law enforcement officers trying to secure the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Louis Enrique Colon, 45, of Blue Springs, pleaded guilty to one count of civil disorder at a hearing held via video conference in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The plea agreement requires him to cooperate with prosecutors and other law enforcement authorities in the investigation.
A sentencing date has not been set. Colon faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Colon, described in court documents as a “first-degree member of the Proud Boys,” was charged last year along with three other Kansas City-area Proud Boys and two Arizona siblings who prosecutors say conspired to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6. The others, who all have pleaded not guilty, are William Chrestman and Christopher Kuehne, both of Olathe; Ryan Keith Ashlock, of Gardner; and Felicia and Cory Konold of Arizona.
All six were indicted Feb. 26, 2021, by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on conspiracy charges and other offenses related to the insurrection. The indictment alleged that the Proud Boys “planned with each other, and with others known and unknown, to forcibly enter the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and to stop, delay, and hinder the Congressional proceeding occurring that day.”
All except Chrestman were released on a personal recognizance bond pending trial. Chrestman remains in custody without bond. Prosecutors allege that he was a key player in the deadly riot.
The Proud Boys — who describe themselves as a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western Chauvinists” — are at the forefront of the federal investigation into the insurrection. Authorities have rounded up dozens of members from around the country, including several in leadership positions, on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to conspiracy to assaulting a federal officer.
A Justice Department news release issued Wednesday said Colon and other members of the Proud Boys began discussing plans to travel to Washington, D.C., around December 2020. Colon and others drove from Kansas City to the D.C. metropolitan area prior to Jan. 6, the release said.
“Colon brought a handgun with him on the trip but did not bring it into Washington,” it said. “On Jan. 5, he and two others went to a hardware store to purchase items to use on Jan. 6. Colon purchased and modified an axe handle to be used as both a walking stick and a weapon.”
A “statement of offense” filed by the government on April 22 and signed by Colon said that on the evening of Jan. 5, Colon attended a meeting with Chrestman, Kuehne, Ashlock and others.
“At some point during the meeting, another individual said that he did not come to Washington, D.C., to just march around and asked, ‘Do we have patriots here willing to take it by force?’” the document said.
“Defendant was shocked by this and understood that the individual was referring to using force against the government. Co-defendant Kuehne responded to the question by saying that he had his guns with him and, in essence, that he was ready to go. The individual who posed the question said that they should ‘go in there and take over.’”
The document did not identify that individual.
On Jan. 6, Wednesday’s Justice Department release said, Colon and others met with a large group of Proud Boys at the Washington Monument, then marched to the Capitol and made their way to the west side of the grounds.
“At the time, Colon was carrying a pocket knife and wearing a backpack, tactical vest, tactical gloves, boots, and a helmet adorned with orange tape,” the release said. “Colon and others proceeded past the police barricades and onto the Capitol’s West Plaza.”
Colon climbed a wall to get to a higher level of the building then entered at about 2 p.m., it said.
“While inside the Capitol, Colon obstructed police officers who were attempting to lower retractable doors to stop rioters from proceeding further into a portion of the building,” the release said. “Colon used his hands to stop one door and placed a chair in its path. He remained in the Capitol building until about 2:50 p.m.”
The charging documents alleged that all six in the Kansas City group wore strips of fluorescent orange tape on their headgear or backpacks. Chrestman, Kuehne and Colon wore tactical style gear, including helmets and gloves, and Chrestman arrived at the Capitol with a respirator and an ax handle disguised as a flag.
Court documents said that after pushing through one set of police barricades, Chrestman stood directly in front of officers and yelled, “You shoot and I’ll take your f------ ass out!”
Prosecutors alleged that Felicia Konold bragged on a Snapchat video that she had just been recruited into a Kansas City Proud Boys chapter. She said she’d been told that even though she wasn’t from Kansas City, she was “with them now,” according to the affidavit.
On the video, Felicia Konold displayed a two-sided “challenge coin” that appeared to have markings designating it as belonging to the Kansas City Proud Boys. The “KC” on the coin is identical to the Kansas City Royals’ logo.
Nearly 800 people from almost every state have now been arrested for crimes related to the Capitol breach, according to the Justice Department. Of those, more than 250 have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
To date, 20 Missouri residents have been charged in connection with the riot. So far, 11 have pleaded guilty, including Colon. Of those, three have been sentenced to jail time and seven have gotten probation. Another man rejected a plea agreement on Tuesday and is set to go to trial next year. The other cases are winding their way through federal court.
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 5:07 PM.
