CLEVELAND — A 31-year-old Ohio man was arrested by law enforcement on charges stemming from the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Ethan Seitz, of Bucyrus, was arrested by officers with the Cleveland Division of the FBI—Canton Resident Agency on Friday.
According to court documents and the statement of facts, Seitz posted statements on Facebook admitting that he participated in the protest at the Capitol and entered the Capitol building during the riot.
On his Facebook account, Seitz posted photos and videos which appear to show him making his way to the Capitol grounds, going through police barricades and into the Capitol building itself.
Investigators also acquired a search warrant and obtained messages Seitz sent on Facebook to other individuals which appear to describe some of his activities during the riot. Among the messages are descriptions of him inside the building “pushing with a group of people” and being pepper sprayed and hit with tear gas by authorities responding.
Seitz said in the messages that he was upstairs in the Capitol building after climbing through a broken window where he said they then “pushed and pushed bro.” He said he climbed out of a window because he was unable to breath, court documents show.
“But I did storm the f****** capitol and climb through a window. Got gassed and pepper sprayed. Flash bombs thrown at me. And f***** rubber bullets shot at me,” Seitz wrote in one of the messages.
Seitz was also seen in a YouTube video being interviewed on the evening of Jan. 6 where he said he entered the Capitol building and was part of a group that rushed in. He also said in the interview that he thought the police intervention was “disgusting,” according to the statement of facts.
Seitz was charged with:
- 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(1) - Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority;
- 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(2) - Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority;
- 40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(D) - Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds
After having his initial court appearance, Seitz was released on bond and ordered not to travel outside of the Northern District except to attend court in D.C.
Seitz has a court appearance scheduled via Zoom on March 24.
To read the full criminal complaint, click here.
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