South FL Man Guilty Of Charges Related To Jan. 6 Capitol Breach: DOJ

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A South Florida man was found guilty of charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach.

William Rogan Reid, 37 of Davie was found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding and corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating, or concealing a record, document, or other objects, both felonies, as well as five related misdemeanor offenses, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

While traveling to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 5, Reid posted on social media that he was “going to get into some trouble tomorrow.”

Then, just after 1 p.m. on Jan. 6, he posted a video of people walking towards the Capitol building with superimposed text that read, “Time to storm the Capitol,” the DOJ said.

From about 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Reid was near the scaffolding set up on the West Terrace of the building. Around 2:10 p.m., he climbed the steps under the scaffolding to join the front line of rioters who were confronting law enforcement officers, according to the DOJ.

Reid was among the first rioters to break through a police line and rushed up the Capitol building steps towards the northwest courtyard. Once there, he confronted another police line, and rioters again forced their way through.

He climbed a set of bleachers, recorded another video, and then moved to the Senate wing door. He entered the Capitol around 2:15 p.m. and moved through the crypt, rotunda and statuary hall. He then headed towards the speaker’s lobby, entering a bathroom next to its entrance. Inside the bathroom, he damaged a television and water cooler, the DOJ said.

On April 1, 2021, when law enforcement officers went to his home with a search warrant and to arrest him, Reid disabled and hid his cell phone, trying to keep it from being used in a criminal case against him.

He’ll be sentenced Dec. 7 and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each felony charge, as well as a maximum of four years for his misdemeanor charges.