Explosive Device Found On Man At Rally To Free Green Beret Held In Jan. 6 Capitol Siege

CLEARWATER, FL — A 22-year-old Oldsmar man has been charged with several counts of possessing improvised explosive devices after he was seen running from a political protest concerning the Jan. 6, 2021, siege on the U.S. Capitol.

According to Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, sheriff's deputies with the threat management unit were on hand to keep the peace during a protest at the Pinellas County Justice Center, 14250 49th St. N, Clearwater, that began around 5 p.m. Wednesday on the one-year anniversary of the siege on the U.S. Capitol.

A crowd had gathered to protest the incarceration of 47-year-old Jeremy Brown at the Pinellas County Jail on federal charges stemming from his involvement in the siege intended to delay the official count of electoral votes following the presidential election.

After being arrested and arraigned, a federal judge ordered Brown, who lives in the Palm River area of Tampa, to be held without bond pending trial. Pinellas County has a contract with the U.S. Marshals Service to house people arrested on federal warrants at the Pinellas County Jail in Clearwater.

At 7:24 p.m., deputies saw a man later identified as Garrett James Smith, dressed in all black clothing including a face covering, and carrying a black backpack, run away from the protest.

Suspicious about Smith's eagerness to get away from the rally, deputies pursued and caught Smith at 144th Ave. N, west of 46th Street North in Clearwater. They initially arrested him on charges of loitering and prowling. After the arrest, deputies searched his backpack and found an improvised explosive device. They also searched the area for additional explosive devices but didn't find any others. However, they did find M-80 fireworks in his car, said Gualtieri.

Detectives then obtained a search warrant for the home where Smith lives with his parents at 1484 East Lake Woodlands Parkway, Oldsmar. There, they found more explosive devices including "pipe-type" and "hand grenade-type" explosives along with nails and duct tape.

Gualtieri described Smith as a "sleeper," someone involved in a militant political group who can be activated to commit certain acts of violence at a specified time or place. But detectives said he has no social media presence and there is no indication he's affiliated with any militant groups.

"Those are the ones that are most concerning and the hardest to figure out," Gualtieri said. "It could have been very destructive. He could have hurt a lot of people, depending on the number of nails or whatever other things are in the explosive devices. Because that's what they do: They pack it with those, and it goes off and people are hit by it."

Detectives said Smith, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Jan. 6, has no criminal history, and they've yet to determine why Smith was carrying the explosive device or what he intended to do with it.

Gualtieri said he was carrying a handwritten "direct action checklist" that included black clothing, armor, pepper spray, smoke rockets, flammable rags, among other items.

"Where was he going to go next? What was he going to do?" asked Gualtieri. "Of course, we don't know the answer to that, but he had all the equipment to cause destruction."

Smith's been charged with three counts of making, possessing or discharging a destructive device along with the loitering and prowling charge. He remains in jail on $300,250 bail.

This is the second protest over Brown's incarceration in the past month. On Dec. 6, about 30 people attended a rally in the parking lot of the Pinellas County Jail. Other than Smith's arrest, both the Dec. 6 and Jan. 6 protests were peaceful, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

The Marshals Service said both protests were organized by the American Gulags and the Jeremy Brown Defense Fund, which is raising funds for Brown's defense, arguing that he is a "political prisoner." So far, $53,921 has been contributed for Brown's defense.

The Progressive Magazine describes the American Gulags as a political action group dedicated to protesting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention of undocumented immigrants.

Brown was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service on Oct. 1 after a District of Columbia judge signed a warrant for his arrest on the grounds that he entered restricted buildings at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Brown is accused of engaging in disorderly conduct on restricted grounds. Federal prosecutors said a series of surveillance videos show Brown entering the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in full tactical gear. Additionally, they said, Brown emailed others about his plans to travel to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 and urged them to join him and bring weapons.

U.S. District Judge Sean P. Flynn said he denied Brown bail based on a handwritten sign Brown posted in his front yard after federal agents came to his home earlier this year.

On the sign, Brown warned the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI that if they returned to his home, they should "bring a bigger tactical package."

Flynn said he could not ignore the severity of that threat that implied Brown intended to commit violence against federal agents.

During a search of Brown's home on Sept. 30, the FBI discovered a cache of weapons including a short-barrel rifle, a sawed-off shotgun and two live M67 grenades, several unregistered high-powered weapons and more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.

Prosecutors said Brown has identified himself as a member of Oath Keepers, an American far-right anti-government militia organization composed of current and former military and police who claim to be defending the Constitution of the United States.

Brown ran for Florida's 14th Congressional U.S. House District as a Republican but withdrew before the Republican primary on Aug. 18, 2020. That seat is currently held by Tampa Democrat Kathy Castor.

According to his candidate profile, Brown served in the U.S. Army from 1992 to 2012, reaching the rank of Special Forces master sergeant.He was deployed twice each to Iraq and Afghanistan. His last assignment before leaving the military was at MacDill Air Force Base, and he settled in Tampa after leaving the military.

Smith's connection to Brown is unclear.

See related stories:

• Ex-Green Beret, Congressional Candidate Jailed In Capitol Siege
• Monday Protest Rally For Tampa Man At U.S. Capitol Siege Peaceful