(LEX 18) — A Kentucky man was arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges following the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
According to the Department of Justice, 46-year-old William Stover of Elizabethtown is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with civil disorder, a felony offense. Stover is also charged with misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings.
Stover was arrested on July 10, 2023, and made his first appearance in the Western District of Kentucky.
Court documents show that Stover was identified on CCTV footage and police body-worn camera. In the footage, officials say that Stover allegedly pushed against a police line and aided other rioters in fighting against police near the entrance to the Capitol building at the lower west terrace tunnel.
Stover and other rioters were expelled from the tunnel entrance by police but returned to push against the line.
According to the DOJ, court documents show that Stover grabbed onto the side of the tunnel entrance to use his weight and push against police. He then grabbed the side of the tunnel, hoisted himself up, and reached over the heads of the other rioters to grab the helmet of the closest officer.
Other court documents state that Stover received a U.S. Capitol Police riot shield, which he then handed to another rioter who climbed behind him. That rioter used the shield to attack police, while Stover remained at the entrance of the tunnel as other rioters fought police for 20 more minutes. A little after 4:00 p.m., Stover was pushed away from the tunnel by the crowd.
This case is being investigated by the FBI's Louisville and Washington Field Offices.
