He was apart of the insurrection at America's capital, causing Congress to be shut down as members were quickly ushered to safety, but a judge believed that 60-year-old Arkansas resident Richard Barnett should only receive house arrest. On Friday (January 15), U.S. Magistrate Judge Erin Wiedemann in Arkansas set Barnett's bond at $5,000, ordered him on house arrest with an ankle monitor, and told him that he couldn't be in contact with any others involved in the insurrection, nor could he use the internet. Barnett became a poster boy of sorts for the failed coup at Capitol Hill after he was photographed sitting at Nancy Pelosi's desk and later, he posed for photos while holding mail he'd stolen from her office.
The public quickly complained about the treatment that Barnett was receiving, especially because he was also seen on a bullhorn bragging about his antics during the January 6 event and was allegedly carrying a stun gun at the time. Hours after it was announced that Barnett would be waiting out his case in the comforts of his home, a federal judge quickly reversed that decision. A new order was sent to have Barnett transferred to Washington, D.C. where he would await his trial.
“If (Barnett) will travel across the country and engage in this level of criminal behavior because he believes that he is right and it is the Electoral College that is wrong, what would deter him?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Harris said. Five people died during the violent takeover at Capitol Hill, including a woman shot by police and an officer who was beaten with a fire extinguisher.
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