Nashville – A federal judge on Sunday blocked the release of a Tennessee man, according to authorities, who wore flexible plastic handcuffs during riots at the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell for the District of Columbia also ordered that he be taken to Washington for further trial.
Howell set aside an order issued Friday by a Tennessee judge over the release of Eric Munchel of Nashville, which paved the way for Munchel’s release as early as Monday. Howell suspended the lower court order pending a review.
Two rioters were seen wearing suspenders during the damage to the Capitol. On social media, Munchel has been dubbed “the zipper type.”
After testifying at an arrest hearing Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Frensley of the Tennessee Middle District ruled that Munchel was not a flight risk and did no harm to the public.
Federal prosecutors have argued that Munchel’s crimes are serious enough to detain him pending trial to ensure the safety of the community.
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According to court records, an FBI search of Munchel’s home resulted in tactical equipment leading to the Capitol storm on Jan. 6, five pairs of plastic handcuffs, several weapons, hundreds of ammunition and a drum style magazine.
Munchel is charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, conspiracy and civil disorder. He is up to 20 years old if convicted.
Munchel has been in federal custody since his arrest on Jan. 10, when he turned himself in to authorities.
In a memorandum in support of the arrest, prosecutors said Munchel traveled to Washington with his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, who has also been charged with the Capitol riot. The two participated in Donald Trump’s rally, “Stop the Steal,” in which the former president repeated his unfounded allegations of election fraud and urged the crowd to march on the Capitol and “fight like hell.”
Judicial documents state that Munchel entered the Senate Chamber a few minutes after she was evacuated.
Munchel “perceived himself as a revolutionary, in the form of those who overthrew the British government in the American Revolution,” according to court statements. He was “dressed for combat” with “combat boots, military suits, a tactical vest, gloves and a gaiter that covered his entire face except his eyes,” the documentation states. He also carried a stun gun on his hip and mounted a cell phone on his chest to record the events.
WUSA says the emergency appeal of the Frensley order filed by U.S. District Attorney for the District of Columbia Michael Sherwin included an allegation that was not filed in Friday’s hearing: that Munchel he had been part of a group that had assaulted and threatened a Bloomberg journalist they had mistakenly identified as “antifa”.
The appeal argued that, contrary to Frensley’s sentence, Munchel could not “make any serious claim that he was going to the Capitol on January 6 with the intent to engage in peaceful protests or civil disobedience.”
“Instead,” Justice Department attorneys wrote, “the evidence supports the conclusion that it was intended to contribute to the chaos, obstruct the certification of the Electoral College, and sow fear.”