Missouri man dressed as George Washington at Capitol riot rejects plea, headed to trial
A Missouri locksmith who prosecutors say breached the Capitol on Jan. 6 dressed as George Washington rejected a plea deal with the government on Tuesday and is set to go to trial next year.
Isaac Yoder, owner of Yoder Lock and Key in Nevada, turned down the offer to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, his attorney told U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan. The charge carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
“After speaking to my client, he is choosing to reject the plea offer, and we would like to set a trial date,” John Machado said during a hearing via video conference in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Machado added that while requesting a jury trial, Yoder wanted to leave open the possibility of having a bench trial instead, which means a judge would hear the case and issue a ruling.
Sullivan scheduled the trial to start Feb. 7, making Yoder the first of the 20 Capitol riot defendants from Missouri to have a trial scheduled. So far, three Missouri residents have pleaded guilty and received jail time and seven others have been sentenced to probation. The rest are making their way through federal court.
Yoder was arrested in Springfield on Aug. 4 and charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. All four counts are misdemeanors.
At a hearing in January, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst told Sullivan that the government had sent Machado a plea agreement offer last year.
“He is hopeful that maybe after speaking with his client we might be able to resolve this without a trial,” she said at the time.
Authorities became aware of Yoder on Feb. 26, 2021, when the FBI received an online tip, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in his case. The tipster said a man named Yoder who worked at a locksmith business in Nevada had stormed the Capitol in a George Washington costume. FBI agents interviewed Yoder on March 16 in Joplin and he admitted that he had entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to the affidavit.
Yoder told agents that he’d gone to the Capitol after attending a pro-Trump rally with family members, the document said. A review of recordings showed that Yoder entered the Capitol at 3:14 p.m. and exited at 3:32 p.m., the affidavit said. While inside, people stopped to have their picture taken with him.
On Tuesday, Yoder’s attire — though not the colonial costume — was again the subject of attention.
“You look mighty spiffy today, sir,” the judge told Yoder. “I feel terrible. I’m sitting with a turtleneck because it’s somewhat cold in D.C. today…
“You give me an idea to go try and find my tuxedo now. It’s in mothballs somewhere. Haven’t worn it in two years.”
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 3:30 PM.
