Topeka man turned himself in to FBI six days after Capitol riot, court documents say
The Topeka man arrested last week for his alleged role in the U.S. Capitol invasion contacted the FBI’s online tip system six days after the riot to turn himself in, according to newly unsealed court documents.
“I was in the Capitol on January 6,” William Pope wrote on Jan. 12 in a message to the FBI, according to a probable-cause affidavit filed in the case. “I did not damage any property or engage in any violence. I am loyal to the United States and was only there to exercise my freedom of speech. I left the building voluntarily.”
Pope included an image of himself standing on the Capitol grounds, wearing a long-sleeved red sweatshirt, a red, white and blue USA ball cap and holding flags in both of his gloved hands.
Pope, 35, was taken into custody without incident and released on his own recognizance pending trial. His next court hearing is scheduled for Monday. Pope’s brother, Michael Pope, of Sandpoint, Idaho, also was arrested last week by FBI special agents within the Salt Lake City Division.
They are 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.
According to the affidavit, the FBI interviewed a witness on Jan. 8 who provided a Facebook Live video that was copied from William Pope’s Facebook page on Jan. 6. The witness knew Pope and identified him as the person in the video, the affidavit said.
In the video, Pope said he was marching to the Capitol, explained why he was marching and introduced Michael Pope, who he said had flown from Idaho to join him.
On Jan. 8, the affidavit said, the FBI interviewed a second witness who provided a screen capture from MSNBC News that showed William Pope in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol during the riot. The FBI interviewed William Pope on Jan. 21, the affidavit said, and he admitted to entering the Capitol building with his brother during the riot.
“William Pope stated that he and Michael Pope stayed within several feet of each other all day on January 6, 2021, for their own safety and so they didn’t get separated in the crowd,” the affidavit said. “William Pope further stated that he posted the video to social media from his cellular phone shortly after they left the U.S. Capitol building.
“When asked why he went inside the U.S. Capitol, rather than stay outside, William Pope stated that their purpose for entering the building was to express their concern about the direction of the nation. Specifically, William Pope explained that questionable things happened during the election and that citizens deserved a full election audit.”
During the interview, the affidavit said, William Pope “reported that they had witnessed other rioters fighting and battering police officers and rioters damaging the U.S. Capitol Building.”
William Pope told the FBI that he’d planned the trip with his brother, who lives in the Idaho panhandle. He said he rented a car and drove from Topeka to Philadelphia, and his brother flew from Spokane, Washington, to Philadelphia to meet him.
Pope said the two were going to make a vacation out of the trip and camp at parks along the coast before returning home, the affidavit said.
“William Pope admitted that after seeing the gravity of the situation after January 6, 2021, he and Michael Pope changed their plans and wanted to return home as early as possible,” it said.
They drove to West Virginia but Michael Pope couldn’t rent a car to drive home, so William Pope drove him to Pittsburgh and he flew back to Idaho from there, according to the affidavit.
On Jan. 22, the FBI interviewed a U.S. Capitol Police officer who in a photo appeared to be restraining William Pope inside the Capitol. The officer told the FBI that he was inside the Senate doors on the east side of the Capitol when he came in contact with William Pope.
“The USCP Officer remembered William Pope due to his large size and his passive resistance to the officer’s attempt to stop William Pope from entering the U.S. Capitol,” the affidavit said. “The USCP Officer also reported that William Pope was blocking law enforcement officers from closing the door as law enforcement was working to prevent other rioters from entering.
The officer said he repeatedly ordered William Pope to leave the building and attempted to grab him and push him out, the affidavit said, but William Pope resisted by tensing up and refusing to move.
William Pope also was identified on surveillance videos inside the Capitol, including footage that showed him and his brother in the hallway outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s offices, the affidavit said.
“In the video, William Pope appears to strike one of the office doors several times with the bottom of his flag pole and then attempts to force the door open by lunging into the door with his shoulder,” it said.
William Pope ran for Topeka City Council in 2019 and has been listed as a student with Kansas State University’s Leadership Communication Doctoral Program and is a graduate teaching assistant.
A university spokeswoman responded to news of Pope’s arrest in an email last week.
“Kansas State University condemns the Jan. 6 insurrection that occurred in the United States Capitol,” Michelle Geering said. “A graduate assistant at K-State has been charged with federal crimes in conjunction with this event. The university is conducting an internal review and will not comment on future personnel actions.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 4:48 PM.
