The man accused of carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) lectern through the U.S. Capitol building Wednesday has been arrested and faces federal charges.
“The man smiling and waving at the camera has been identified as 36-year-old Adam Johnson of Parrish in Manatee County,” WFLA reported Saturday, adding that it learned Johnson is married to a physician and has five children.
Johnson was booked into the Pinellas County Jail Friday night, according to arrest documents.
As WTSP reported:
He faces charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, one count of theft of government property and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol ground, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the United States Capitol Police.
“It is alleged that on Jan. 6, 2021, Johnson illegally entered the United States Capitol and removed the Speaker of the House’s lectern from where it had been stored on the House side of the Capitol building,” the attorney’s office said in a statement.
“A search of open sources led law enforcement to Johnson, who is allegedly seen in a widely circulated photo inside the Capitol carrying the lectern,” it continued.
Getty Images News shared the photo appearing to show Johnson on Wednesday afternoon:
In a press release Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) asked for help in identifying the Capitol Hill protesters, according to Breitbart News.
“The FBI is seeking information that will assist in identifying individuals who are actively instigating violence in Washington, D.C.,” the agency said.
“Our goal is to preserve the public’s constitutional right to protest by protecting everyone from violence and other criminal activity,” it continued.
Following Johnson’s arrest, an acquaintance told WFLA he contacted the FBI when he recognized him in the photo.
“I felt a little disassociated for a minute. It was almost like, it was surreal. I mean it was surreal. I wasn’t surprised, but I was shocked,” Allan Mestel said, adding, “Couldn’t believe it, the fact that I recognize somebody from our hometown, was, I was floored.”
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