Horn-wearing man from Arizona makes first court appearance
Jan 11, 2021, 4:30 PM
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona man who took part in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol while sporting face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns made his first court appearance Monday.
A judge has scheduled a detention hearing Friday for Jake Chansley, who has been jailed on misdemeanor charges since surrendering to authorities over the weekend in Phoenix. He took part in the hearing by phone from the detention facility where he is being held.
The FBI identified Chansley from images during the riot showing his distinctive sleeve tattoos. Chansley was inside the Capitol and on the Senate dais as he carried a U.S. flag on a pole topped with a spear.
He hasn’t yet entered a plea on charges of entering a restricted building without lawful authority as well as violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
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His court-appointed attorney, Gerald Williams, told the judge that his client has been unable to eat since he was arrested Saturday. He said his client has a restricted diet, though it was unclear to Williams whether Chansley’s food issues were related to health concerns or religious reasons.
The judge ordered Williams to work with the U.S. Marshals Service to address the issue.
Williams didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment from The Associated Press.
Chansley is among the 90 people who have been arrested on charges stemming from Wednesday’s siege on the Capitol.
An investigator said in court records that Chansley called the FBI in Washington the day after the riot, telling investigators that he came to the nation’s capital “at the request of the president that all ‘patriots’ come to D.C. on January 6, 2021.”
Chansley has long been a fixture at Trump rallies. He also attended a November rally of Trump supporters protesting election results outside of an election office in Phoenix, holding up a sign that read, “HOLD THE LINE PATRIOTS GOD WINS.”
Rioters violently clashed with officers as they forced their way in the Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Five people were killed, including Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher.
