Many people living in Kansas have been arrested for the “Stop the Steal” rally that took place on Jan 6, 2021, led by Trump’s supporters.
More than 1000 people have been arrested since 2021 for the incident. The recent arrests were made in Kansas. The defendants were charged in the federal court in Columbia.
The Arrests
Nine Kansans were arrested in connection to the incident, two of which were made in Topeka, the capital city of Kansas.
The arrests were made on one of the cases for the Jan 6 incident, which was based on the unlawful entry of people from a crowd who forced their way into the U.S. Capitol.
In another case, a group of friends travelled from Kansas to Washington D.C and entered the building through open doors who were later sent out by a police officer.
The Department of Justice issued a press release on Jan 12, where William Chrestman, 51, was sentenced to 55 months of prison for obstruction of official proceedings during an Oct 16 hearing. He was one of the members of the ‘Proud Boys’ organization which supported Trump and protested against the validity of the Electoral College vote.
He travelled from Kansas with others and met his group members on Jan 6, outside Washington DC carrying gloves and other equipment like a gas mask and wooden axe.
He not only entered the building forcefully but also intervened while the police were making arrests.
Proud Boys
It is an organization that engages in political violence and had supported President Donald Trump during the 2020 election.
Most of the damage to the police while entering the Capitol was done by this group.
The crowd entered the Capitol when the 2020 presidential election was still underway. They broke windows and assaulted members of the security.
According to the United States District Court in Columbia, the riot resulted in more than $1.4 million in damage to the administration.
The attack on the Capitol was organized by Trump supporters, two months after he was defeated in the 2020 elections. The rally was carried out to keep Trump in power by disrupting the Congress from counting the votes to officially declare Biden as the President.
The Charges for the Riot
The charges for the insurrection were knowingly entering and remaining in the building.
Disruptive behavior and creating disorder.
Holding an unlawful demonstration, or rally in the building.
Conspiring to overturn the elections.
Obstructing an official proceeding of the congress.
The Capitol Riot is one of the most baffling cases of all time where the arrests are still being made for the unlawful activities by Trump supporters.