WASHINGTON — A Waterford man was arrested on Thursday for civil disorder during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol according to officials.
James Roe Cleary, 56, of Waterford was charged in the District of Columbia with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.
Cleary was also charged with misdemeanor offenses of simple assault, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
Thousands of protestors stormed a joint session that day, of the U.S. Congress scheduled to approve the electoral votes for to the 2020 presidential election.
The FBI arrested Cleary in Waterford, and he will make an appearance in federal court in Connecticut.
Cleary was identified in open-source and video footage near the opening of the Lower West Terrace Tunnel on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., during a period of intense fighting between rioters and police. The Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on that day according to officials.
"It is alleged that Cleary moved towards the mouth of the Tunnel as intense physical clashes continued between police guarding the Tunnel entrance and rioters trying to force their way through the entrance. By approximately 4:26 p.m., Cleary positioned himself at the mouth of the Tunnel, where he quickly moved his body towards the interior of the Tunnel and made a swiping motion at the head of a police officer," said the U.S. Attorney's office in a press release. "Police body-worn camera shows that roughly ten seconds later, Cleary helped to pull a rioter out of the Tunnel. He then returned to the mouth of the Tunnel and allegedly made another swiping or grabbing gesture with his hand toward police officers."
Moments later according to officials, a Metropolitan Police Department officer was pushed to the ground, and rioters attempted to pull the officer’s body out of the Tunnel and into the mob. Allegedly, Cleary can be seen on body-worn camera clambering across the bodies of a fallen rioter and the downed officer and grabbing a baton on the ground. Je then handed the baton off to another rioter in the mob and then returned to the front of the Tunnel.
Cleary is alleged to have pulled another rioter and stood under a broken window as other rioters threw furniture out. Officials said Cleary also shoved a person with camera equipment, shortly before leaving the area.
At about 4:28 p.m., Cleary helped pull a second rioter out of the Tunnel who had been filming and become trapped and moved north alongside the Capitol building and stood beneath a window as rioters began to break the glass panes. Video footage and images showed that Cleary remained near the window and watched as rioters passed furniture through the broken window to other rioters closer to the mouth of the Tunnel.
This case is being investigated by the FBI's New Haven and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Since Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors said, more than 1,500 people have been charged for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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