Arkansas man who has been sitting at the desk of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week at the U.S. Capitol has been arrested, federal authorities reported Friday.
Richard Barnett, of Gravette, was arrested in the early hours of Friday. He is currently charged with at least three felonies: entering and remaining in a restricted building, violently and disorderly entering the Capitol grounds, and stealing public property, according to Ken Kohl, the U.S.’s top attorney in DC
Photos circulated widely showing Barnett in Pelosi’s office with his feet resting on his desk. “Just because you’ve left the DC region, you can still expect a knock on the door if we find out you were part of the criminal activity at the Capitol,” Steven D’Antuono, of the FBI’s foreign office, told Steven D’Antuono. Washington.
Barnett turned himself in to authorities Friday morning at the Benton County Sheriff’s Office in Bentonville, an FBI official told CBS News. He is currently detained at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Fayetteville, the source said.
More than a dozen FBI agents were executing a search warrant authorized by the courts Friday night at Barnett’s residence, a federal law enforcement source told CBS News.
SAUL LOEB / AFP through Getty
The FBI is continuing its investigation to use tips and public photos to locate riot police. West Virginia State Delegate Derrick Evans was also arrested after posting a now-deleted video showing him in the capital. Barnett and Evans are among 15 others facing federal charges for crimes committed during the riot.
Five people lost their lives as a result of the violence at the U.S. Capitol this week, including a police officer who died from his injuries and a woman who was fatally shot by police. Three more died after suffering medical emergencies, officials said.
Barnett spoke Wednesday with CBS affiliate KSFM and identified himself as the man in the viral photos. He said he traveled to Washington to see President Trump speak earlier in the day and maintained his innocence. “I didn’t do anything,” Barnett told the station. “I didn’t break down the doors. They pushed me. I didn’t want to be there. Damn, I was walking around looking for a bathroom.”
Barnett admitted he pulled an envelope from Pelosi’s desk, but said he only did it because he bled. “I grabbed the envelope and put it in my pocket. I put a quarter on the desk because I’m not a thief,” he said.
“The crowds were amazing,” he told KSFM. “We went down there. They’re starting to make tear gas. They’re starting to hurt our people. It upset some people. They went to the front door and started demanding that they let them in.”
Rep. Steve Womack, an Arkansas Republican, condemned Barnett’s actions Wednesday. “I am angry to learn that the following actions were perpetrated by a voter,” Womack said he tweeted. “It’s a shame for the people of the Third District and it doesn’t reflect our values. You have to be responsible and deal with the fullest extent of the law. This is not the American or Arkansas way.”
Clare Hymes, Pat Milton and Erin Donaghue contributed to the communication.