40 Missourians received clemency from Trump in Jan. 6 riot cases. Here’s who they are

A Christian elementary school teacher, a former police officer, a U.S. Marine veteran, two convicted felons, a licensed firearms dealer and a civil engineer.

These are some of the 40 Missourians who were granted clemency by President Donald Trump in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Four years after thousands of Trump’s supporters stormed the building in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, the president on Jan. 20 signed an executive order granting clemency to all of those charged in the attack. The order included full pardons of those already sentenced, commutations of sentences of 14 Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members and the dismissal of all pending cases.

Nearly 1,600 people were charged in almost all 50 states for crimes related to the attack, according to the Justice Department. That figure includes more than 600 defendants charged with assaulting or obstructing law enforcement. Of those charged, more than 1,000 pleaded guilty, one-third of them to felonies, and more than 260 were found guilty at trials. About 1,100 defendants had been sentenced, with roughly 667 receiving periods of incarceration.

Of the 40 Missourians charged, 32 had pleaded guilty or had been found guilty in a jury trial or a bench trial before a judge. Of those, 31 had been sentenced, with 15 receiving jail time ranging from 14 days to nearly six years. One-third of those prison sentences were for a year or more.

Five Missouri defendants who remained in prison were released soon after Trump’s order was signed. All had pleaded guilty to assaulting or obstructing officers during the riot.

Here are the Missourians who were pardoned or had their charges dismissed.

For details of the Kansas defendants, click here.

Emily Hernandez, of Sullivan, was charged Jan. 16, 2021, accused of possessing a wooden name plate torn from the entrance to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.

Hernandez, the first Missouri resident to be charged in connection with the insurrection, appeared in numerous videos and photos displaying Pelosi’s splintered name plate like a trophy.

A week before she was scheduled to plead guilty, Hernandez was arrested in Franklin County after driving the wrong way on Interstate 44 and crashing into another car, killing the passenger and seriously injuring the driver.

Hernandez pleaded guilty in federal court on Jan. 10, 2022, to one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, a misdemeanor. She was sentenced April 11, 2022, to 30 days in jail, one year of supervised release, 80 hours of community service and $500 restitution for damage to the Capitol building.

On Nov. 5, 2024, Hernandez, 24, pleaded guilty in state court to one count of driving while intoxicated and causing the death of another person and one count of driving while intoxicated and causing serious physical injury.

On Jan. 29, 2025, just nine days after being pardoned by Trump in the Capitol riot case, she was sentenced by a Franklin County judge to 10 years in prison in the deadly drunken-driving crash case.

Zachary Martin, of Springfield, was arrested Jan. 28, 2021, accused of breaching the Capitol with brothers Michael and Stephen Quick, also of Springfield.

The FBI became aware of Martin’s alleged involvement in the riot after receiving a tip that he had live-streamed a video of himself on Facebook from inside the Capitol building.

Martin pleaded guilty on Dec. 23, 2021, to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol building. He was sentenced on March 17, 2022, to three years’ probation, $500 restitution, a $1,000 fine and 60 hours of community service.

At his sentencing, he told the judge: “I just want you to know that I just am truly sorry. It is just totally embarrassing to be here right now.”

William Merry Jr., of St. Louis, who is Emily Hernandez’s uncle, was charged Feb. 4, 2021, along with Paul S. Westover, of Lake St. Louis. The three allegedly went inside the Capitol together, and Hernandez and Merry were accused of stealing Pelosi’s name plate.

Merry pleaded guilty on Jan. 5, 2022, to theft of government property, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced April 11, 2022, to 45 days in jail, nine months of supervised release, 80 hours of community service and $500 restitution.

At his sentencing, he said: “I’m ashamed of what I’ve seen on the video, the way I acted that day…I just got caught up in the moment, your honor, and I’ve got no excuses.”

Westover pleaded guilty on Dec. 6, 2021, to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He was sentenced April 11, 2022, to 45 days in jail and $500 restitution.

Westover spoke to the judge at his sentencing: “I think it’s clearly that there was a lot of lack of judgment by many people that day, and my lack of judgment and lapse of character during the events that transpired are beyond regretful.”

Nicholas Reimler, of St. Louis County, was charged Feb. 5, 2021. A civil engineer who worked as a materials inspector for the Missouri Department of Transportation between 2014 and early 2018, Reimler was turned in by a Facebook friend who reported him to an FBI tip line. Another Facebook friend provided agents with screen shots of Reimler’s posts about his plans to attend the pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6.

He pleaded guilty on Sept. 17, 2021, to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, the first Missouri defendant to enter a guilty plea in a Capitol riot case. Reimler was sentenced Dec. 10 to one month of home detention, three years’ probation, 60 hours of community service and $500 restitution.

At his sentencing, Reimler told the judge: “The violence, destruction and loss of life at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., should have never happened.”

Louis Enrique Colon, of Blue Springs, who prosecutors allege was a member of the far-right Proud Boys Kansas City chapter, was arrested Feb. 11, 2021, on multiple felony charges.

The former police officer was indicted Feb. 26, 2021, along with Ryan Ashlock, William Chrestman, Christopher Kuehne and Arizona siblings Cory and Felicia Konold for conspiring to breach the Capitol.

Prosecutors said Colon marched to the Capitol on Jan. 6 with a large group of Proud Boys. At the time, he was carrying a pocket knife and wearing a backpack, tactical vest, tactical gloves, boots, and a helmet adorned with orange tape, according to the Justice Department. He proceeded past the police barricades and onto the Capitol’s West Plaza, climbed a wall to get to a higher level, then entered the building about 2 p.m.

“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 Justice Department said in a news release. “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.”

Colon pleaded guilty on April 27, 2022, to one felony count of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder. He was sentenced on July 9, 2024, to two years of probation followed by 24 months of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $2,000 restitution for damage to the Capitol. Colon faced a maximum five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors asked for two years’ probation and $2,000 restitution, saying he provided “substantial assistance” to authorities in the case.

Colon also is among dozens of defendants named in a civil lawsuit filed by the attorney general of the District of Columbia that calls the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers domestic terrorists and seeks to recover the costs of the attack.

Stephen Brian Quick, of Springfield, was arrested along with his brother, Michael Aaron Quick, on Feb. 12, 2021.

Stephen Quick told the FBI that “a change came over the crowd” as it neared the Capitol and that he felt “ashamed” about entering the building.

Stephen Quick pleaded guilty Dec. 23, 2021, to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol building. He was sentenced March 17, 2022, to two years of probation, $500 restitution, a $1,000 fine and 60 hours of community service. He told the judge he was “truly embarrassed with our actions.”

Michael Quick said he was in the building for five to 15 minutes. His goal, he told the FBI, “was to show support so Congress would investigate irregularities in the election and do something about it.”

Michael Quick pleaded guilty Dec. 23, 2021, to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol building. He was sentenced March 17, 2022, to two years’ probation, $500 restitution, a $1,000 fine and 60 hours of community service.

Zachary Wilson, of Springfield, was charged Feb. 12, 2021. His wife, Kelsey Leigh Ann Wilson, at the time a Springfield Christian elementary school teacher, was charged six months later, on Aug. 2, 2021.

Prosecutors said the Wilsons illegally entered and roamed through the Capitol, including Pelosi’s office, where Zachary Wilson took a video. Zachary Wilson then posted pictures and video on Facebook. One post said, “First ones in !!!! First thing we found was Pelosi’s office.” When FBI agents later interviewed the couple, they lied repeatedly about their participation in the riot, prosecutors said.

Both pleaded guilty on Sept. 27, 2021, to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. The two were sentenced on Jan. 27, 2022. Zachary Wilson was sentenced to two years’ probation, 45 days of home detention, 60 hours of community service and $500 restitution. Kelsey Wilson was sentenced to two years’ probation, 30 days of home detention, 60 hours of community service and $500 restitution.

At their sentencing hearing, Zachary Wilson told the judge: “I’m incredibly sorry for my part in what has now put a stain on American history.”

A tearful Kelsey Wilson said that her arrest “will undoubtedly be one of the most life-changing things that I will ever go through.”

Matthew E. Loganbill, of Versailles, was arrested March 29, 2021. He is a firearms trainer and at the time of his arrest was the owner of a Lake of the Ozarks-area gun store called Tooth and Nail Armory.

Video and photographs of Loganbill taken inside the Capitol showed him refusing to obey the commands of law enforcement, according to court records. They also showed Loganbill wearing a gas mask and helmet. Investigators said he told them he initially brought the gear because he was fearful Antifa was going to infiltrate the protest, then wore those items after police deployed tear gas.

On Aug. 16, 2023, a federal judge dismissed Loganbill’s case — one felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding and four misdemeanor charges — after finding that the government had taken too long to prosecute him, violating his right to a speedy trial. The government quickly refiled the case, and after the judge rejected Loganbill’s motions to dismiss most charges, he opted for a bench trial.

On Nov. 16, 2023, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson found him guilty on all charges. But the government’s authority to charge Capitol rioters with obstruction of an official proceeding was limited by the Supreme Court in a June 2024 decision in another Jan. 6 case. Loganbill then filed a motion for the court to reconsider its findings of guilt on three of the five counts and find him not guilty on each. On Aug. 22, the government filed a motion asking that the court deny that motion and instead set the obstruction count for retrial. On Oct. 31, the judge vacated the guilty verdict on the obstruction count and scheduled a retrial on that count for March 10, 2025.

Carey Jon Walden, of Kansas City, was charged May 21, 2021. Walden is a U.S. Marine veteran whose participation in the Capitol riot was reported to the FBI by a fellow Marine he once supervised. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 26, 2021, to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced Jan. 19, 2022, to 30 days of home detention, three years’ probation, 60 hours of community service and $500 restitution.

At his sentencing, Walden told the judge: “It was a terrible day, and I’m really ashamed of myself that I was a part of that.”

Joshua Dressel, of Festus, was charged June 29, 2021. Authorities said he was among the first to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6. The FBI learned of Dressel’s involvement from a longtime acquaintance who saw him on a video of rioters inside the Capitol that was broadcast on MSNBC.

According to court documents, Dressel had told someone on Facebook Messenger about being in the Capitol that day. In one message, Dressel said, “First 20 or so to break into the Capitol.” The recipient responded, telling Dressel, “You guys are true patriots!!!!” and that they “should be (expletive deleted) proud of yourselves.”

Dressel pleaded guilty Aug. 18, 2022, to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He was sentenced March 21, 2023, to 14 days’ incarceration, a $500 fine and $500 restitution.

Nicholas Kennedy, of Sikeston, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 23, 2021, on felony charges of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding, along with four misdemeanors. A second superseding indictment handed down in February 2024 added a felony charge of tampering with records, documents or other objects.

A March 13, 2024, filing by the government indicated that Kennedy had ties to the Kansas City-area Proud Boys. The document said Kennedy was in contact with Chrestman, of the Kansas City Proud Boys chapter, on the day of the riot and afterward.

The court filing described items the government intended to use as trial exhibits, including “a string of messages exchanged on the Telegram application” between Kennedy and Chrestman that were originally obtained from Chrestman’s cellphone. Other exhibits the government listed were “authentic copies of two videos of Kennedy that were sent by Kennedy to Chrestman via the encrypted application Telegram on January 10, 2021,” and “an authentic copy of a photograph of Kennedy, Chrestman and others that was taken on January 6, 2021, at approximately 12:42 p.m. eastern.”

The document also included several photos of Kennedy. In two — one taken inside the Capitol and one outside — he is flashing a hand gesture that commonly signals “OK” but has been co-opted by the Proud Boys and other far-right groups to signify “white power.”

According to court testimony, Kennedy joined the Proud Boys in 2020 and left the organization after his arrest in 2021. On Jan. 6, Kennedy met up with several Kansas City-area Proud Boys outside Harry’s Bar, a now-defunct dive bar in downtown Washington, D.C. He got a piece of orange duct tape from one of the Proud Boys and put it on his black baseball cap, which had the letters RWDS on it. The letters are an acronym for “Right Wing Death Squad,” a phrase dating back to the 1970s that has been used in recent years by far-right extremists — including the Proud Boys — to express opposition to the left. Kennedy walked with the Kansas City Proud Boys from the Washington Monument to the Capitol, where they were among the first group to breach the police barriers on the west side.

Once inside, Kennedy was part of a group being held back by Capitol Police as the U.S. Secret Service was attempting to evacuate Vice President Mike Pence from the Senate chamber. He twice pushed an officer who was trying to keep the crowd back. Kennedy then walked to the other side of the Capitol and joined a group trying to push its way into the House chamber. He could see officers on the other side of the door pointing guns at the protesters as Republican lawmakers tried to reason with the mob.

At 2:43 p.m., about the time that Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot while trying to climb through the broken window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker’s Lobby, Kennedy left the area in front of the House chamber and started making his way out of the building. He exited around 3:01 p.m., about an hour after he entered. Kennedy wiped his iPhone clean after learning that federal authorities were seeking information about people who entered the Capitol that day. The FBI was able to recover some images and messages Kennedy sent to friends and family, but was unable to find several photos and videos Kennedy took of his actions that day.

Kennedy pleaded guilty April 3, 2024, to one count of civil disorder and one count of tampering with records, documents or other objects. He also was found guilty by a judge of obstruction of an official proceeding based on an agree-upon set of facts between the government and Kennedy’s attorneys. All three charges are felonies. But after the government’s authority to charge Capitol rioters with obstruction of an official proceeding was limited by the Supreme Court in a June decision in another Jan. 6 case, Kennedy asked for a new bench trial on that charge. The bench trial was held on Oct. 24. The judge’s verdict had not yet been handed down.

Isaac Samuel Yoder, of Nevada, was arrested Aug. 4, 2021. He roamed the Capitol on Jan. 6 dressed as George Washington.

Yoder, a locksmith, faced four misdemeanor counts: entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct in the Capitol; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol.

In an interview with Newsweek after the riot, Yoder said those who went to the nation’s Capitol were there “to preserve our country.”

“Most of us out there are on the side of the aisle who are the gun owners,” Yoder told Newsweek. “If we had collectively gone there to cause trouble there would have been piles of bodies. We could have leveled things.”

Yoder turned down an offer by the government to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building and requested a bench trial before a judge. The trial took place in March, and Yoder was found guilty on May 26 on all four misdemeanor counts. He was sentenced Aug. 25, 2023, to 12 months in prison on each of two counts and six months on each of the other two counts. The terms are to run concurrently, which means he will spend a year in prison. The judge also ordered 12 months of supervised release, fined Yoder $1,000 and ordered him to pay $500 restitution.

Prison records show he was released on July 1, 2024.

Cara Hentschel, of Springfield, was charged Sept. 22, 2021. U.S. Capitol surveillance video from Jan. 6 showed Hentschel and a companion, Mahailya Pryer, entering the Capitol through the rotunda doors around 2:43 p.m. and leaving the building through the same doors about 2:51 p.m.

Both women had served prison time for previous offenses and both breached the Capitol while on probation or bond for prior felony convictions, according to court documents.

In early July 2021, the FBI got a warrant to search Hentschel’s Facebook account and discovered a conversation between her and another person on Jan. 6, court documents said. The person asked if Hentschel had gotten inside the Capitol. Hentschel responded: “I was the first group in. Yes.” Then, “We storm peloskis office and took her beer. She drinks Corona.”

Prosecutors, however, said the FBI had reviewed surveillance video from near Pelosi’s office and did not see either woman entering.

Hentschel pleaded guilty May 19, 2022, to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building and was sentenced Sept. 30, 2022, to 45 days in a “residential re-entry center,” 36 months’ probation, 60 hours of community service, a $500 fine and $500 restitution for damage to the Capitol building.

Hentschel told the judge she was “100 percent very remorseful” for her actions on Jan. 6. “I’m not only embarrassed, but, like, I have been affected by this in so many different ways,” she said.

Pryer also was charged Sept. 22, 2021.

“There were clear signs of violent entry when they entered the building,” court documents said. “The door’s glass panes were shattered, and broken glass was on the floor. Alarms sounded and police had been assaulted in that location minutes prior to their entry into the building. When they entered, officers were still engaged in confrontations with rioters.”

Pryer pleaded guilty on May 19, 2022, to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. She was sentenced on Sept. 30, 2022, and ordered to serve 45 days of incarceration, 36 months’ probation and 60 hours of community service. She also was ordered to pay $500 restitution.

At her sentencing, Pryer told the judge: “I am very, very apologetic for what happened on January 6. I do think that it’s a horrible thing. ... I’m very remorseful for what I’ve done, the harm that I caused.”

Pryer finished her 45-day incarceration on Dec. 27, 2022, but was arrested in May 2023 for eight alleged probation violations and transported to Washington, where she was held in the District of Columbia jail while awaiting a hearing on whether to revoke her probation. On June 5, Pryer was released to an in-patient drug treatment program in Springfield, then to the custody of her mother on June 25. On Aug. 15, the U.S. Probation Office filed an additional petition to revoke her probation, documenting five new violations it said Pryer had committed, including positive drug tests for methamphetamine and fentanyl.

In November 2023, Pryer filed a motion to terminate her remaining two years of probation based on a recent court ruling which held that a defendant convicted of a single petty offense may not be sentenced to both imprisonment and probation. The Probation Office filed more violations against Pryer in December 2023, and on March 11, 2024, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth revoked her probation and ordered her to spend 30 days in jail for the numerous violations.

Jonas Buxton, of St. Charles, who expressed interest in joining the far-right Oath Keepers and Three Percenters militias days before the Capitol riot and entered the building dressed in tactical gear on Jan. 6, was arrested on Dec. 9, 2021.

Prosecutors said Buxton breached the Capitol building “battle-ready dressed in a gas mask and tactical vest” and spent about 16 minutes inside, roaming from the Senate Wing to the Crypt.

Buxton, who holds a bachelor’s degree in physics, pleaded guilty on Aug. 10, 2022, to a single parading count and was sentenced Dec. 2, 2022, to 18 months’ probation. He also was ordered to perform 40 hours of community service and pay a $500 fine and $500 restitution.

At his sentencing, Buxton told the judge: “I sincerely regret the fact that I participated in an event that has done so much harm. My love for this country extends to its institutions and to its buildings, and the fact that I played any small participation in an event that has done harm to those is something that I sincerely regret.”

Lloyd Casimiro Cruz Jr., of Polo, was arrested Feb. 28, 2022. Prosecutors say Cruz first denied invading the Capitol building, then later told agents that reviewing videos he took that day reminded him that he had indeed gone inside.

He told the FBI that when he marched to the Capitol he was under the impression that Congress was in recess and that the vote to certify the presidential election results was to be later in the day.

Prosecutors said Cruz entered the Capitol building about two minutes after the initial breach and walked around inside for seven or eight minutes. They said he used a GoPro to record rioters trying to get into the building, breaking windows and chanting “This is our house.”

Cruz was set to become the first Missouri resident to go to trial in a Capitol riot case, with a jury trial scheduled to begin Jan. 13, 2023. But that morning, after the judge denied Cruz’s motion to dismiss the case, Cruz agreed on a “stipulated trial,” waiving his right to a trial in front of a jury. The judge found him guilty of two misdemeanors: entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. He was sentenced May 2 to 45 days’ incarceration followed by one year of supervised release and $500 restitution. Records show he was released from custody on Aug. 3, 2023.

Cale Douglas Clayton, of Drexel, faced multiple felony charges, accused of struggling with officers and taking a police baton during the melee outside the building. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 22, 2022.

According to his charging documents, video from a Montgomery County Police Department body-worn camera shows Clayton grabbing a police shield on two occasions and taking a police baton that had been dropped by a law enforcement officer. The FBI also found video footage showing Clayton grabbing an Arlington County Police Department officer’s shield. And Capitol surveillance footage shows police trying to recover the baton from Clayton, whose right hand makes contact with one of the officers.

Body-worn camera video from the Metropolitan Police Department shows Clayton outside the Capitol yelling and pointing at law enforcement officers. Among the things he shouts, court documents said: “You guys realize your President told us to be here. Your President! Hey, how does that make you feel? You’re defying your own f------ country!...Are you a Patriot? Or are you a f------ yes man?”

Clayton pleaded guilty on March 10, 2023, to two counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees. He was sentenced July 11, 2023, to 30 months in prison, two years of supervised release and $2,000 restitution. Prison records showed he had a scheduled release date of March 21, 2025.

John George Todd III, of Blue Springs, was charged on May 3, 2022, with four misdemeanors after he was allegedly captured on video making threatening remarks to police officers and illegally remaining within the building.

Body-worn camera footage obtained from the Metropolitan Police Department showed Todd yelling at law enforcement authorities, court documents said. “At one point inside the rotunda, while near a law enforcement officer, Todd yelled, ‘I swear to God, I’ll hip toss your ass into the f------ crowd, mother ------!’” the documents said.

His case was originally scheduled to go to trial Nov. 14, 2022. But at a pre-trial hearing, his newly hired attorney, John Pierce — who has represented dozens of Capitol riot defendants — infuriated the judge when he said he needed more time to prepare and asked for another year.

In May 2023, prosecutors asked a judge to send him to jail for violating his bond conditions after he was caught scaling a building while possessing knives and razor blades. But the judge decided to instead grant Todd’s request to move to South Carolina to live with his sister and her husband while he sought medical and mental health treatment and awaited his trial. In December and January, a federal grand jury indicted him on felony counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers that inflicted bodily harm and obstruction of an official proceeding, in addition to the four misdemeanor counts.

Todd’s jury trial began on Jan. 29. After a weeklong trial and three days of deliberations, the jury found him guilty on all six charges. He was sentenced May 31 to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. Prison records showed he was in custody at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, with a scheduled release date of May 10, 2028.

Devin Kiel Rossman, of Independence, discussed with others on Facebook taking firearms and knives to Washington on Jan. 6, court documents said. He was charged May 12, 2022.

Prosecutors said Rossman entered the Capitol building just minutes after the initial breach and remained inside for nearly two hours. While inside, the government said, he roamed the building and eventually reached Pelosi’s office suite, a restricted area. Rossman then “entered the Speaker’s Office suite and tried to open doors while the Speaker’s terrified staffers sought shelter under their desks.” He also took photos and bragged to friends in Facebook messages about entering the area, court documents said.

Rossman pleaded guilty on Sept. 9, 2022, to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. In a court document he filed prior to his sentencing, Rossman blamed Trump, right-wing media and other elected officials — including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley — for spreading the “Big Lie” that led to his actions. In the document, his attorney said Rossman was duped by Trump and others into believing that Democrats rigged the 2020 presidential election.

He was sentenced Dec. 9, 2022, to 36 months’ probation, 32 days of intermittent confinement, a $2,000 fine, 60 hours of community service and $500 restitution. On Jan. 26, 2024, a federal judge ordered a bench warrant to be issued for Rossman after he failed to show up in court for a probation violation hearing in his case. He was listed as a fugitive until he was arrested on April 3. On April 16, he was sentenced to five months in prison for the probation violation.

Jerod Thomas Bargar, of Centralia, was charged July 29, 2022, with felony weapons offenses and related misdemeanors. He carried a 9mm semi-automatic pistol “held in a distinctive holster that displayed an image of the American flag and had the words ‘We The People’ written on it,” the charging document said. The pistol contained one 9mm cartridge in the chamber and approximately 15 additional cartridges in the magazine.

“Bargar stated that he is always armed and wanted to be armed when he went to the ‘belly of the beast’ for his own ‘self-protection,’” according to the charging document. Checks run on the firearm revealed that it was not registered in the District of Columbia and that Bargar was not licensed to carry a firearm in the District of Columbia as required by law, the document said.

Bargar told agents he did not know at the time he traveled to Washington, D.C., that it was illegal to possess a handgun there or on federal property. He pleaded guilty June 8, 2023, to one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, a felony. He was sentenced Jan. 9, 2024, to five years’ probation, fined $4,000 and ordered to pay $2,000 restitution.

Kyler Joseph Bard, of Seneca, was charged Jan. 12, 2023, with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and civil disorder, both felonies. He also faced four other counts, including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds and engaging in an act of violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.

According to the charging document, Bard used a megaphone outside the Capitol to incite rioters and shoved an officer, identified as “Officer M.G,” in the process.

“Officer M.G. repelled Bard’s assault, and Bard fell backwards after continuing to resist and push against Officer M.G.,” the document said. “As Bard fell to the ground, Bard yelled to the crowd of officers, ‘You’re all a bunch of pieces of s---.’”

And in a video posted on Twitter, the document said, “Bard can be heard stating, ‘I’ve already been maced, punched, they took my microphone away, and, uh, when I punched them, they punched me back. Maced me in the face. But it’s what we gotta do. We gotta get inside, we gotta take it over. We gotta do it.’”

Bard pleaded guilty to all charges on May 28. He was sentenced Nov. 15 to one year in prison and 24 months of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $2,000 restitution for damage to the Capitol and was scheduled to report to prison on Feb. 14, 2025.

Brian Scott McGee, of Auxvasse, was arrested Feb. 9, 2023, in Jefferson City on four misdemeanor charges in connection with the Capitol riot. The former Missouri National Guard member was the 25th Missouri resident to be charged in a Capitol riot case.

According to the charging document, authorities tracked him down through cellphone records and Capitol surveillance video, both of which showed that he was inside the building on Jan. 6. When contacted by the FBI, the document said, McGee told authorities he had traveled to Washington to attend the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” rally.

“McGee said that he heard people in the crowd saying that U.S. Capitol police officers were allowing people to enter the U. S. Capitol building,” the document said. “McGee further claimed that he observed four or five U.S. Capitol police officers wearing riot gear gesture for people to enter the U.S. Capitol and fist bumping them as they walked by.”

The document said that “a review of Capitol CCTV in the area where McGee entered the Capitol does not corroborate McGee’s statement that police waved rioters into the building and fist-bumped them as they entered.”

On Oct. 27, 2021, the document said, the FBI interviewed one of McGee’s former supervisors when McGee was in the Missouri National Guard. The former supervisor identified the man in the surveillance images as McGee.

McGee pleaded guilty on June 23, 2023, to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced on Nov. 8, 2023, to 36 months’ probation and $500 restitution.

Steven and Kimberly Dragoo, of St. Joseph, who documented their breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6 — including a photo of Kimberly entering through a broken window — were arrested June 20, 2023, on four misdemeanor counts.

The FBI interviewed the couple on Jan. 20, 2021. They told the FBI that while on the Capitol grounds, Kimberly Dragoo posted videos on Facebook of her narrating what she was seeing on the northwest side of the building.

Steven Dragoo told the FBI that at about 3:15 p.m., he took a picture of his wife posing just outside a broken window of the Capitol. The photo, the affidavit says, was given to the FBI through tipsters.

“During that interview both Kimberly Dragoo and Steven Dragoo admitted to their presence inside the Capitol and stated that they had not done anything wrong,” the affidavit says. “Steven Dragoo stated that he took photographs of his wife inside the Capitol using his cell phone. Kimberly Dragoo and Steven Dragoo confirmed they were the people in the tipster photographs that have been provided to the FBI.”

Both pleaded guilty on Aug. 11, 2023, to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor. In late December, Kimberly Dragoo signed up to run for the Board of Education in the St. Joseph School District. She was not among the three board members elected on April 2. The two were sentenced April 19 to 14 days in jail and three years’ probation. They also were each fined $5,000 and ordered to each pay $500 restitution.

Kyle Kumer, a Kansas City church staffer who authorities say took his mom to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and participated in a concerted “heave-ho” movement against a line of officers during the riot, was charged June 28, 2023, with civil disorder — a felony — and three misdemeanors.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Kumer was on the front lines of rioters facing off with law enforcement officers at the Capitol’s lower west terrace entryway, which is known as “the tunnel.”

“The individual appeared to push in a concerted effort with other rioters against the police defending the entrance to the U.S. Capitol multiple times over the course of approximately 25 minutes,” the document said. Photos of the man were posted on the FBI’s website under the title BOLO 126, asking for information about his identity. Tipsters — including a relative — later identified the man as Kumer.

When authorities interviewed Kumer in late 2021, the affidavit said, he admitted to being at the Capitol on Jan. 6. He also said he entered the tunnel and helped the rioters push against the police line but denied going inside the Capitol.

“Kumer claimed he was pushing against the crowd to protect his elderly mother from injury,” the affidavit said. “Kumer stated he brought his elderly mother to the tunnel to fully experience the moment.”

Kumer pleaded guilty Jan. 31, 2024, to obstructing officers during a civil disorder, a felony. He was sentenced July 9 to 10 months in prison and two years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $2,000 restitution for damage to the Capitol. Prison records showed he was in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Thomson, Illinois, with a scheduled release date of May 10, 2025.

Christopher Brian Roe, of Raytown, was accused of assaulting police and carrying a pitchfork on the Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6 riot. He was arrested July 18, 2023, and faced nine charges, including multiple felonies.

After arriving at the Capitol, the probable cause affidavit said, Roe moved close to police with the pitchfork in hand, then grabbed a bicycle rack that was in front of the officers and dragged it toward the crowd. When an altercation erupted between a rioter and a Capitol Police officer, the document said, Roe — with the pitchfork in his right hand — moved forward and pushed the officer with his left hand.

Roe then went to the West Lawn of the Capitol, worked his way to the Upper West Terrace and followed other rioters into the building. While inside, the affidavit said, Roe shoved an officer and wrapped his arm around the officer, impeding him from defending police from the rioters.

After being forced outside, Roe re-entered through the East Rotunda doors. He again scuffled with police and blocked them from moving the rioters out When police tried to push him out of the building at 3:30 p.m., the affidavit said, Roe “spread both of his arms wide and grabbed onto the doors.” He kept holding on to the doors until officers forcefully removed him.

Roe then went to the north door of the Capitol, the document said.

“At approximately 4:16 P.M., rioters were trying to breach into the doors while officers were barricaded inside the Capitol,” it said. “In his own attempt to break down the doors, Roe brought a bike rack into the alcove and rammed it against the inner doors roughly ten times. At points, the door visibly buckled inwards against its hinges after Roe’s strikes.”

Roe pleaded guilty on Nov. 2, 2023, to three felony counts of assaulting, resisting and impeding officers. He was sentenced March 5, 2024, to 70 months in prison, two years of supervised released and $2,000 restitution. According to prison records, he was in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, with a scheduled release date of April 5, 2029.

Eric Glen Harrower, formerly of Jefferson County near St. Louis, was accused of participating in the riot with Dressel (see above) and helping rioters scale a banister that led to the Senate Wing doors that they breached.

He was charged July 6, 2023, with four misdemeanors.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Harrower told the FBI in a Feb. 9, 2022, interview that he and Dressel drove to D.C. to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally. After listening to some of Trump’s speech, Harrower said, the two walked to the Capitol. He said he went inside and spent time in a room with large columns and statues. After the two exited, he said, they went to their hotel, packed up and left D.C. later that day.

But the government said videos from Jan. 6 showed that Harrower and Dressel used overturned bike racks as ladders to assist other rioters as they climbed the banister to the northwest steps of the Capitol.

“In doing so, they fueled the manpower of the mob, of which they were willing participants,” an FBI agent wrote in the probable cause affidavit. Harrower ended up in the Crypt of the Capitol, where “the mob was raucous and loud,” the affidavit said. “During this time, Harrower witnessed a member of the mob throw a fire extinguisher at police officers.”

On Aug. 17, 2023, a federal judge granted Harrower’s request to switch his pre-trial supervision from the District of Missouri to the District of Colorado. Harrower said he and his wife — both originally from Colorado — had decided to move back.

Harrower pleaded guilty on Nov. 17, 2023, to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He was sentenced April 9, 2024, to 12 months’ probation and $500 restitution.

Angelo Pacheco, of Kansas City, who prosecutors say spent six seconds inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, was arrested July 17, 2023, on four misdemeanor counts.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the FBI received a tip from someone who said that Pacheco was on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. The source had identified him by comparing photos on Pacheco’s Facebook and Instagram pages with images from the riot.

Capitol surveillance video footage showed Pacheco standing in the doorway on the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol around 2:37 p.m., the affidavit said.

“Two minutes later, at approximately 2:39 p.m., Pacheco entered the Capitol building. Approximately six seconds later, Pacheco turned around and exited the Capitol through the same door.”

Two FBI agents interviewed Pacheco at his home on Sept. 29, 2022, the affidavit said. During the interview, it said, Pacheco admitted to being at the Capitol on Jan. 6 but said he did not remember entering the building.

“On May 17, 2023, I interviewed Pacheco, who was accompanied by his attorney, for a second time,” one of the agents wrote. “During the interview, which took place at Pacheco’s attorney’s office, Pacheco identified himself in all six images shown to him.”

And this time, the agent wrote, “He said that he remembered entering the Capitol.”

Pacheco pleaded guilty on Oct. 25, 2023, to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He was sentenced Jan. 30, 2024, to 24 months’ probation with 30 days of home detention and $500 restitution.

Rally Runner, of St. Louis — a Cardinals superfan who legally changed his name from Daniel Donnelly Jr. — was accused of using a police shield to help rioters push officers from a Capitol entrance during the riot.

He was charged July 31, 2023, with civil disorder, a felony, and four misdemeanors.

Court documents said Runner — his face painted red — worked his way through the crowd and into the Lower West Terrace tunnel entrance to the Capitol, helping others pass a ladder as they went.

About 4:10 p.m., the documents said, Runner obtained a police riot shield and eventually made it to the front of the crowd at the tunnel entrance.

“Various rioters surged forward to attack the law enforcement officers,” the documents said. Runner “continued to hold the line as rioters sprayed chemical irritants, threw items, and screamed at law enforcement officers.”

As rioters pressed forward, the documents said, Runner was in the lead, using the shield to push officers back. The officers forced Runner out of the tunnel after about 10 minutes. Later that day, the court records said, Runner posted a 26-minute video on his Facebook page.

In the video, Runner said, “I got further than anyone, I literally got further than anyone. I helped us get that far.”

Runner pleaded guilty to civil disorder on March 22, 2024. He was sentenced Aug. 15, 2024, to 10 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $2,000 restitution for damage to the Capitol and a $1,000 fine. Runner was in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Thomson, Illinois, and had a scheduled release date of Sept. 3, 2025.

Joseph Kerry Hicks, of Willard, was charged Aug. 28, 2023, with obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, a felony, and four misdemeanors. Prosecutors said Hicks entered the Rotunda Doors of the Capitol about 2:41 p.m. on Jan. 6, minutes after those doors had been breached.

Hicks walked around the Rotunda for several minutes, court documents said, unfurling and waving a flag and talking to and fist-bumping other rioters. The flag appeared to contain the word “III%” inside an eye socket of a skull, court documents said.

The III% symbol is associated with the “Three Percenters” movement, “which postures itself as citizens standing against a tyrannical government,” the documents said.

Hicks exited the Capitol around 2:58 p.m., but tried to re-enter about 3:29 p.m. as officers struggled to keep rioters out, according to court records. He used his body weight to help other protesters prevent officers from expelling the rioters, the records said.

“Hicks appears to push for several seconds, until the officers successfully overcome and expel the rioters in the entrance. As the right half of the door is closed, Hicks — now on his own — then appears to back into the officers at the entrance, pushing against the officers with his back for less than two seconds. Hicks then retreats away from the Capitol and disappears from view.”

A bench trial took place June 3 and June 4, 2024. Hicks was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts — disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. But U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb found him not guilty of civil disorder, a felony; and two other misdemeanor counts — entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.

Cobb said that the government was unable to prove that Hicks tried to obstruct officers during a civil disorder, the sole felony charge. She said video evidence did not show beyond a reasonable doubt that Hicks physically intervened with officers.

Hicks was sentenced Sept. 27, 2024, to two years’ probation.

Chancelor Nathan Taylor, of Anderson in McDonald County, was charged Sept. 1, 2023, with forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating or interfering with certain designated individuals, a felony, and several misdemeanors.

Authorities said Taylor was among a group of rioters that rushed at a line of police officers guarding a staircase where a mob had formed outside the Capitol building. The crowd was hostile toward the officers, and many rioters were attempting to break through the line to get to the Capitol, according to the probable cause affidavit.

“The rioters used their bodies to physically push into the officers’ shields, and one rioter pointed a long stick at officers while another waved a golf club at them,” the affidavit said. “Taylor ran toward the officers and barreled into the line with his shoulder, hitting one of the officer’s shields.”

The officer pushed Taylor backward, the document said, and he fell to the ground but quickly regained his footing and continued to resist the officers. Other rioters tried to restrain Taylor and pull him back toward the crowd, it said. Officers then deployed pepper spray at Taylor, and he retreated down the stairs.

“After retreating,” the affidavit said, “Taylor turned around and shouted at officers, ‘I hope you all f------ die!’”

His next court hearing was scheduled for Feb. 13, 2025.

Jared Luther Owens, of Farmington, and Jason William Wallis, of St. Clair, were charged Oct. 26, 2023, with obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assault on law enforcement with a deadly or dangerous weapon, both felonies. The men also face six misdemeanor offenses.

Owens and Wallis attended the “Stop the Steal” rally near the Washington Monument on Jan. 6, then walked with other protesters to the Capitol, according to the probable cause affidavit. The men are seen on video chasing and yelling at U.S. Capitol Police officers, it said.

When officers formed a barricade with bike racks at the top of stairs on the building’s northeast corner, Wallis grabbed one end of a bike rack and lifted it off the ground, the affidavit said. Both men then shoved the bike rack into the line of officers.

One officer who was hit “sustained a fracture to her right hand/wrist and was placed in a hard cast for seven weeks,” the affidavit said. “… She said that she and the other officers were sprayed with chemical irritants while they continued to hold the line.

Wallis and Owens then tried unsuccessfully to enter the Capitol on the east side, then went to the west side, where they entered with other rioters through the Senate Fire Door. The men became separated, the document said, and just after 3 p.m., Wallis breached a line of officers and walked further into the Capitol. Other rioters followed him past the officers and down the hallway.

Around 3:07 p.m., the document said, Wallis returned to the hallway and left the Capitol through a door on the north side. He was in the building about 21 minutes, it said.

While the men were separated, the document said, Owens assaulted another officer, this one inside the Capitol. A Capitol Police officer identified as D.T. said after he saw Owens push the other officer up against a wall, he handcuffed Owens.

“During a search of Owens, Officer D.T. found a folding knife in Owens’ right front pocket,” the affidavit said. “Officer D.T. took the knife and put it in Owens backpack. Owens was released from handcuffs and allowed to exit through the Senate Carriage Door.”

He was in the Capitol for about 16 minutes, it said.

Owens was held in custody after his arrest but released Jan. 11 with the condition that he submit to “location monitoring technology.” Wallis was in custody until Feb. 16, when the judge ordered him to be released to home incarceration that included “location monitoring technology.”

A trial date had been set for April 14, 2025.

Jack Westly Ryan Jr., of Warrensburg, was charged April 9, 2024, with two felonies — obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers. He also was charged with five misdemeanor offenses.

The FBI interviewed Ryan on Oct. 17, 2023, according to the probable cause affidavit. “During that interview, Ryan admitted to taking a bus with a church group out of Lee’s Summit, Missouri to attend the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally in Washington, D.C.,” it said.

Ryan told the agent that he went alone to the Ellipse on Jan. 6 to watch Trump speak, according to the affidavit. It was hard to hear the speech, Ryan said, but he heard rumors in the crowd that Trump planned to march to the Capitol. Ryan told the agent he walked to the Capitol with a large group and once there, stood near a staircase and witnessed altercations between protesters and police, the document said.

“Body-worn camera from various MPD officers showed that Ryan was among a large crowd of protesters near the Lower West Terrace on U.S. Capitol grounds at approximately 2:00 p.m. on January 6,” it said. “As a group of MPD police officers tried to push through the crowd, they were taunted and met physical resistance from individuals in the crowd.”

Body-worn camera footage from Officer R.S., the document said, showed that Ryan “pushed with his hands against Officer R.W.” Footage from that same officer, it said, “showed that after Officer R.W. pushed Ryan away, Ryan turned his body and reached out to grab Officer R.S.”

“After grabbing at Officer R.S., Ryan turned again and shoved Officer R.W. with his hand,” the affidavit said. “The BWC (body-worn camera) from Officers D.P. and R.S. showed that after making physical contact with Officers R.W. and R.S., Ryan stood in close proximity to Officer R.S. and appeared to gesticulate angrily and yell through his facemask.”

Ryan had a jury trial scheduled to begin on Jan. 25, 2025.

Edward and Sandra Steen, of Springfield, were charged April 23, 2024, with four misdemeanors.

The charging documents said the couple attended a rally near the White House on Jan. 6 and then walked to the Capitol, where a huge crowd had gathered in front of the inaugural stage and scaffolding on the West Lawn.

Videos showed the two standing in the crowd as rioters climbed the scaffolding and tore down the tarp that covered it. Those in the crowd could be heard chanting “Our house!” and “push forward,” the documents said.

Video footage also showed the Steens making their way to the Upper West Terrace and then standing outside the Senate Wing Door, where the crowd chanted “USA” and a rioter shouted at police through a broken window, the documents said. Minutes later, they are seen on video entering the Capitol through the Parliamentarian Door, holding their phones up to take photos and videos of the scene.

The Steens are then shown on video roaming deeper into the Capitol, twice being forced back by officers, according to the court records. After exiting the building, they stayed with other rioters on the Upper West Terrace for more than an hour before leaving the grounds.

FBI agents interviewed the couple at their home in June 2021, the documents said.

“Both Sandra and Edward confirmed that they attended the protest in D.C. on January 6, 2021, starting near the White House and then moving towards the U.S. Capitol,” the documents said. “However, neither of them confirmed or denied that they went inside the Capitol …”

A trial date had been set for March 10, 2025.

Eric Lee Peterson, a U.S. Army veteran who court documents said has residences in both Kansas City and Roseville, Michigan, was charged July 3, 2024, with four misdemeanors.

Court records said that Peterson attended the “Stop the Steal” rally the morning of Jan. 6, then went to the Capitol and entered the restricted area on the east side of the grounds. As he stood outside the locked Rotunda doors, courts records said, he saw rioters trying to force their way inside and chanting “This is our house!” as an alarm blared from inside. When rioters shattered the glass and forced the doors open, officers tried to close them but were overwhelmed by those continuing to enter, the documents said. Peterson entered the building at about 3:03 pm, walking directly past an officer posted at the doors. He entered the Rotunda about a minute later and took photos on his cellphone while inside.

U.S. Capitol Police officers ushered Peterson and other rioters out of the Rotunda around 3:07 p.m., court records said. He exited the building around 3:11 p.m.

Peterson pleaded guilty Nov. 1 to one misdemeanor count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. His sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 27, 2025.

On Dec. 17, Peterson filed a motion requesting that his probation be modified to allow him to attend Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration in Washington, saying he had no criminal history prior to Jan. 6, 2021, and did not assault anyone or commit any vandalism that day. Peterson also requested that for the duration of his case he be granted “slightly broader travel within the Kansas City Metropolitan area where he lives.”

“Apart from being reasonable on their face, these two modification requests are even more appropriate in light of the incoming Trump administration’s confirmations that President Trump will fully pardon those in Mr. Peterson’s position on his first day in office on January 20, 2025,” the motion said. “Thus, his scheduled sentencing hearing before this Court on January 27, 2025, will likely be rendered moot.“

On Dec. 19, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, a President Barack Obama appointee, approved both requests.

This story was originally published July 5, 2023 at 5:29 PM.

Judy L Thomas

The Kansas City Star

816-234-4334

Judy L. Thomas joined The Star in 1995 and is a member of the investigative team, focusing on watchdog journalism. Over three decades, the Kansas native has covered domestic terrorism, extremist groups and clergy sex abuse. Her stories on Kansas secrecy and religion have been nationally recognized.