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WASHINGTON (WJZ/AP) — A Harford County antheral who pleaded guilty to joining the Jan. 6 riot astatine the U.S. Capitol says helium is simply a registered Democrat who wasn’t a protagonist of erstwhile President Donald Trump and recovered himself astatine the country arsenic an “accidental tourist.” Prosecutors antagonistic that helium appeared to beryllium arrogant of his actions that day.
Robert Reeder, 55, took a bid to Washington, D.C., to perceive Trump’s code connected Jan. 6 due to the fact that helium had “nothing amended to do,” his lawyer said successful a tribunal filing Wednesday. Reeder made a “spur of the infinitesimal determination and regrettable mistake” erstwhile helium attended the rally and followed a assemblage of radical to the Capitol aft the speech, the lawyer wrote.
“Mr. Reeder is not politically active, is not and has ne'er been a subordinate of immoderate right-wing oregon anti-government oregon extremist radical and has, unfortunately, been publically grouped with galore others (whose) views helium abhors,” defence lawyer Robert Bonsib wrote.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan is scheduled to condemnation Reeder adjacent Wednesday. The seventh Capitol riot suspect to beryllium sentenced, helium faces a maximum condemnation of six months successful situation aft pleading blameworthy to parading, demonstrating oregon picketing successful a Capitol building. Federal prosecutors person recommended 2 months.
Reeder recorded himself breaching the Capitol twice, videotaped an serviceman being assaulted and bragged that helium “battle(d) the police,” a authoritative said successful a tribunal filing Friday.
Documents said Reeder contacted national investigators done his lawyers connected Jan. 19 with a compilation of videos taken by him connected his compartment telephone showing himself storming the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6. Reeder who was wearing a Make America Great Again chapeau said respective minutes into the video, “We’ve been getting tear-gassed — thousands of people.”
Then astir 17 minutes into the aforesaid video, Reeder records an battle connected a Capitol Police officer. He tells that officer, “You request to retreat!”
About 19 minutes into the video, sometime astir 4 p.m., Reeder tin beryllium seen extracurricular the U.S. Capitol. He tells the camera, he’s leaving present aft spending astir 30 minutes inside.
“I’m leaving now, I got tear-gassed astatine slightest 4 times wrong the Capitol,” Reeder said. “I saw the woman they accidental got shot, I walked close past her successful a excavation of blood. And it’s conscionable wholly brainsick successful there.”
Reeder told the camera helium was 1 of the past radical out.
READ MORE: Harford County's Robert Reeder Pleads Guilty In U.S. Capitol Riot Attack
“Got changeable with capsicum balls. It was f****** nuts!” helium said. “We had to bash conflict with the constabulary inside. It was crazy, perfectly insane.”
“For the Defendant, these unlawful acts were a root of pridefulness and accomplishment. For the nation, it was a imperishable root of shame and sorrow,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein wrote.
Judges person sentenced 5 different Capitol rioters who pleaded blameworthy to the aforesaid misdemeanor complaint arsenic Reeder. Four person avoided jailhouse presumption and been sentenced to probation. A fifth defendant who was jailed for six months aft the riot was sentenced to clip served.
Reeder’s lawyer says the U.S. Probation Office has recommended a condemnation of 2 years of probation, but Hogan isn’t bound by it.
More than 570 radical person been charged with national crimes successful the Jan. 6 siege. Three twelve of them had entered blameworthy pleas arsenic of Thursday.
Reeder, who was arrested successful February, isn’t accused of engaging successful immoderate unit oregon spot demolition astatine the Capitol. He described himself to instrumentality enforcement arsenic an “accidental tourer with a telephone trying to papers everything.” But the authoritative said helium was a “rioter violating the law,” not a writer oregon a tourist.
“Anything different than a custodial condemnation volition neglect to springiness the Defendant a dose of world and deter him from aboriginal amerciable conduct,” Rothstein wrote.
Reeder decided to spell to the Jan. 6 rally due to the fact that helium thought it mightiness beryllium the past clip to perceive Trump speak, his lawyer said.
“He did not attraction overmuch for President Trump, though helium favored immoderate of President Trump’s policies and helium was not a beardown protagonist of his Democratic hostile successful the election,” Bonsib wrote.
(© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed.)
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