Judge Finds Man Not Guilty in First Jan. 6 Acquittal

A federal choose selected Wednesday {that a} former authorities contractor from New Mexico who claimed that the police let him into the Capitol throughout final yr’s pro-Trump riot was not responsible of 4 petty offenses, the primary acquittal related to the sprawling investigation of the assault.

At a two-day bench trial in Federal District Courtroom in Washington, the defendant, Matthew Martin, admitted that he went into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, together with a whole lot of different supporters of President Donald J. Trump. However he claimed that he had not damaged the regulation as a result of two Capitol Cops had waved him in by way of a door.

Prosecutors argued that Mr. Martin was conscious that he had entered the constructing illegally provided that indicators of the riot have been clearly obvious throughout him, together with tear gasoline and alarms going off.

Ruling in favor of the protection, Choose Trevor N. McFadden mentioned he discovered it believable that Mr. Martin believed the police had let him in and thus had not knowingly gone into the constructing improperly. Choose McFadden acquitted Mr. Martin of 4 misdemeanors: getting into and remaining in a restricted constructing; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted constructing; violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol constructing; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol constructing.

Different judges aren’t sure by Choose McFadden’s evaluation of Mr. Martin’s claims in regards to the police. However within the wake of the acquittal, some defendants dealing with low-level costs who would possibly in any other case have entered responsible pleas might really feel emboldened to go to trial and check the federal government’s instances in opposition to them. Greater than 200 individuals have already pleaded responsible to misdemeanors related to the riot.

The case of Mr. Martin, who as soon as held a top-secret safety clearance as a personal contractor for the Power Division, was the third related to the Capitol assault to go to trial.

In early March, a jury convicted Man Wesley Reffitt, a member of a Texas militia group, of obstructing Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election by serving to to guide an advance in opposition to the police that resulted within the first violent breach of the constructing.

Just a few weeks later, at one other nonjury trial, Choose McFadden discovered Couy Griffin, the founding father of a bunch referred to as Cowboys for Trump, responsible of trespassing throughout the riot, however not responsible of a second misdemeanor rely of disorderly conduct.

A former Virginia police officer, Thomas Robertson, can also be now on trial in Washington. He faces costs of obstructing the certification of the election and interfering with regulation enforcement officers throughout a civil dysfunction.