Politics & Government
Prosecutors Charge 2 WA Men Linked To Jan. 6 Riots
A Washington man and his stepson were arrested Wednesday in Tacoma and accused of participating in the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
SEATTLE — Federal authorities on Wednesday arrested two men in Tacoma who prosecutors allege participated in attacks on law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Richard Slaughter, 40, of Orting, faces charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers while using a deadly or dangerous weapon, interfering with officers during civil disorder, and other misdemeanor and felony offenses. Slaughter's stepson, Caden Paul Gottfried, 20, faces similar allegations and misdemeanor charges.
As KING 5 reports, Slaughter sits on the Orting School District Board and he was identified in part from a tip about footage posted on his wife's Facebook page.
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In court filings, federal prosecutors allege Slaughter and Gorrfried illegally entered Capitol grounds and joined other rioters near the lower west terrace. Prosecutors said Slaughter was part of a crowd near a tunnel area when he took a police shield from another rioter and kept it away from officers as he demanded police stand down. A few minutes later, investigators said Slaughter used a large pole to strike officers on the front line and handed "chemical spray" to someone else in the crowd.
Gottfried stands accused of joining a mob in the same area and using his weight to push against officers before he was pulled into the tunnel and arrested. Both men had a first appearance in federal court Wednesday and will enter pleas at a later date. The FBI's Seattle office assisted the Washington field office and U.S. Capitol Police to investigate the case.
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According to federal prosecutors, more than 880 people have been arrested in the wake of the Capitol riots. More than a dozen arrests have happened in Washington state.
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