NC member of Proud Boys arrested for alleged role in Jan. 6 Capitol breach, justice department says
FBI agents arrested a North Carolina man on Tuesday in Charlotte on felony and misdemeanor charges for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Jay Robert Thaxton, 49, of Concord, is charged with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. He is also charged with four misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds and obstructing or impeding passage in a Capitol building or grounds.
The U.S. Department of Justice said a first court appearance for Thaxton is expected Tuesday in the Western District of North Carolina.
Citing court documents, the justice department said Thaxton is member of the far-right militia group known as the Proud Boys. According to the justice department, Thaxton and other members of the group gathered on Jan. 6, 2021, to march along the National Mall and around the U.S. Capitol Building. Thaxton and other members marched around the Capitol prior to the breach, the justice department said.
The justice department says that court documents state that the group arrived on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, near the Peace Memorial as rioters breached the outer fencing of Capitol grounds and advanced toward the Lower West Plaza.
According to the justice department, footage shows Thaxton making his way to the front ranks of the rioters advancing into the Lower West Plaza.
On the Lower West Plaza, court documents say that Thaxton joined rioters' attempts to breach a police line by grabbing, pushing and pulling on police bike racks set up as temporary barricades. It is alleged that as a result of these efforts and others, rioters eventually breached the police line on the Lower West Plaza.
Authorities had already arrested Thaxton on Jan. 6, 2021, for violating a curfew order.
