Weed-smoking MAGA rioters 'went to punk Congress' -- now they're facing jail time
Two men from Washington state were charged this week in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot -- validating the fears of getting arrested that they had expressed on social media.
Brian Raymond Jones and Patrick John King, both of Mount Vernon, WA, were apprehended with the help of tipsters who had seen photographs of them smoking marijuana in the Capitol during the riot. They face charges for illegal entry, disorderly conduct and parading on Capitol grounds.
Jones and King, described by witnesses as friends from childhood, both left a trail of evidence on their social media accounts, according to the FBI criminal complaint.
“A review of the records regarding King’s account provided several Facebook Messenger conversations where King told others how he and Jones had gone into the U.S. Capitol," the complaint states. "King further stated in multiple conversations that he had concerns about being arrested for his actions. King stated he 'Smoked weed n sh*t' while in the U.S. Capitol and 'was part of rushing the riot police.' King also states he 'went to punk congress… let them know we ain’t f*ckin around no more.' King also had two videos that were filmed from inside the U.S. Capitol still available in his Facebook records.”
The report also stated that "Jones’ Facebook account provided a conversation that Jones had where he expressed anxiety about being arrested for going into the U.S. Capitol building in D.C. In another conversation, Jones indicated that he deleted anything ‘political’ from his account and was creating another Facebook account where only his close friends and family are connected.”
On the night of January 6, the men expressed their anxiety by way of Google searches, the FBI report indicated.
“The Google records also indicated that JONES and KING conducted multiple searches through Google in the evening of January 6, 2021, and later related to the criminality of entering the U.S. Capitol. Examples of searched phrases included: “Is it illegal to go into the Capitol,” “US Capitol facial recognition,” “Unlawful entry charge,” “Law definition of ‘breach’,” “DC police release photos of people who broke into Capitol,” and several others.”
The FBI agent offered this observation: “Based on my training and experience, individuals who express a contemplation of guilt for their crimes often research criminal acts and how they could be identified for committing those acts. In addition to searching terms related to criminality of entering the U.S. Capitol building, Jones’ search history from his Google account also showed that prior to his departure to Washington D.C., he queried information about the legality of marijuana in Washington D.C.”
You can read the FBI criminal complaint here.