A jury in Washington, D.C., found a former Virginia police officer guilty of all six charges tied to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Thomas Robertson, a former officer with the Rocky Mount Police Department in western Virginia, was convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding, obstructing officers during a civil disorder, entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon, and entering a restricted building, and tampering with a document or proceeding, according to documents filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
MAN SEEN ‘CHUGGING WINE’ DURING CAPITOL RIOT SENTENCED TO 90 DAYS IN JAIL
Prosecutors built their case around video footage outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, which allegedly captures Robertson wearing a gas mask and holding a long stick. Robertson’s defense attorneys argued that the stick was not used as a weapon but as a walking stick.
Later, Robertson was captured inside the Capitol, where he can be seen taking a selfie and holding up his middle finger.
A key witness in Robertson’s case came from his co-defendant, Jacob Fracker, who served on the police force with Robertson. Fracker, who pleaded guilty in February in his own Capitol riot case, testified that Robertson was the one who encouraged their actions on Jan. 6 and later threw out their cellphones, as reported by Politico.
The Capitol riot disrupted lawmakers as they met to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Some of the rioters clashed with law enforcement as they pushed their way into the building.
Robertson’s is the second Capitol riot case to reach jury trial and be completed. A federal grand jury in Texas convicted Guy Reffitt on five charges last month for his role in the attack.
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Robertson’s sentencing date has not been set. He has awaited trial in jail since last July after being found in violation of the conditions of his release for possession of guns.
More than 800 people have been charged in connection to the Jan. 6 attack, and more than 150 have pleaded guilty, according to a case database by Politico.
