From former cop to music teacher, here are NC’s 34 defendants in the Capitol riot
At least 34 North Carolinians have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Of those, 25 have been charged with or sentenced for federal crimes.
Nine others, including multiple from around Charlotte and the Triangle, were arrested on Jan. 6-related charges that landed them in Washington, D.C. Superior Court.
They were tea shop owners and music teachers, military veterans and former cops, college students and lifestyle trainers. One couple took their 14-year-old son inside the Capitol. Another family witnessed the fatal police shooting of one of the rioters. Several others have pleaded guilty to plotting to use violence to stop the transfer of power.
On the second anniversary of the violent attempt by Donald Trump supporters to overthrow the 2020 presidential election, here’s a closer look at the N.C. defendants and where their cases stand:
Pending federal cases
▪ Matthew Beddingfield, Middlesex: trial unscheduled.
Age: 21 at the time of his February 2022 arrest.
Occupation: Laborer
Charges: Felony counts of assaulting a police officer and civil disorder, various misdemeanors.
Summary: Went to Washington on Jan. 6 while out on bond for an attempted murder charge in Johnston County; photographed at the riot giving a Nazi salute while holding an American flag; accused of using the flagpole to strike a police officer in the groin; records say he was later seen throwing a metal rod at police.
Conditions of release modified so he could spend Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve with his father, who traveled with Beddingfield to Washington on Jan. 6, and whom he is otherwise banned from seeing.
▪ Bradley Bennett, Huntersville: trial scheduled for Feb. 21.
Age: 43.
Occupation: Survivalist trainer, lifestyle coach.
Charges: Felony obstruction of official proceeding, various misdemeanors.
Summary: Went to D.C. with then Texas girlfriend; briefly entered the Capitol but did not take part in the violence; surrendered in Charlotte after prosecutors say he evaded the FBI for weeks; representing himself at his February trial.
▪ Jeremy Bertino, Belmont: sentencing unscheduled.
Age: 43 at the time of his October plea.
Occupation: Plumbing supplies.
Charges: Pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy.
Summary: Last N.C. resident charged. Ranking member of Proud Boys who helped plan the militia group’s attack on the Capitol, prosecutors say; could not take part on Jan. 6 due to being stabbed outside a D.C. bar following a pro-Trump rally on Dec. 12, 2020. Has been offered leniency and witness-protection in return for testimony at ongoing Proud Boys trial.
▪ Aiden Bilyard, Cary: sentencing scheduled for Feb. 2.
Age: 20.
Occupation: Unknown.
Charges: Pleaded guilty in October to felony count of assaulting police with a deadly weapon; sentencing range of 46-57 months.
Summary: Was 18 on Jan. 6, making him among the youngest defendants in the massive two-year prosecution; caught on film firing chemical spray at police; used a baseball bat to break out a Capitol window, which he and others used to enter the building.
▪ Charles Donohoe, Kernersville: sentencing unscheduled.
Age: 34.
Occupation: former Marine and ex-Blackwater operative.
Charges: Felony conspiracy to obstruct; assaulting police.
Summary: N.C. president of Proud Boys who planned and participated in group’s attack on the Capitol, documents show; could testify in ongoing sedition trial against other Proud Boy members that continues this month. Faces sentencing range of 70-87 months.
▪ Edward George, Fayetteville/Clearwater, Fla.: trial unscheduled.
Age: 33 at the time of his July 2021 arrest.
Occupation: Unknown.
Charges: Felony counts of obstruction, assault, resist or impeding a police officer, civil disorder; multiple misdemeanors.
Summary: Has ties to both North Carolina and Florida; arrested in Fayetteville; accused of joining a group of Proud Boys and former and current police officers in Capitol assault and later entering the Senate where he’s accused of stealing a flag.
▪ David Gietzen, Sanford: trial unscheduled.
Age: 38 at the time of his May 2022 arrest.
Occupation: Unknown.
Charges: Three felony counts of assaulting police.
Summary: Accused of assaulting multiple officers, using a metal pole in one instance; FBI says text messages also showed Gietzen and an unidentified brother returned to the Capitol two weeks later for the inauguration of Joe Biden, intending to engage in further violence to block the transfer of power. No charges tied to the inaugural trip have been filed.
▪ James Grant, Cary: trial scheduled for Feb. 21.
Age: 30.
Occupation: Unknown.
Charges: Felony counts of assaulting police, civil disorder, obstruction.
Summary: Prosecutors say Grant was among the very first rioters to attack and overwhelm police lines on the perimeter of the Capitol; taken back into federal custody last July after being arrested on a DWI charge in Garner; police say Grant had an assault rifle and 60 rounds of ammunition in his car at the time at the time of the DWI stop.
▪ Johnny Harris, Shelby: bench trial scheduled for Feb. 27.
Age: 45 at the time of his March 2021 arrest.
Occupation: Unknown.
Charges: Four misdemeanors, including disorderly and disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds.
Summary: Harris served as his own videographer inside the Capitol where he was decked out in red, white and blue, and carried both a flag and a megaphone.
▪ Stephen Horn, Wake Forest: trial unscheduled.
Age: 23 at the time of his April 2021 arrest.
Occupation: Self-styled independent journalist.
Charges: Multiple misdemeanors.
Summary: Horn, who was photographed on top of a statue inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, says he was there not as a rioter, but as a journalist to cover an historic event. He later received permission from a judge to carry a gun, saying he needed it for security after the publicity of his arrest.
▪ Benjamin Robinson, Matthews: trial unscheduled.
Age: Unknown.
Occupation: Unknown.
Charges: Four misdemeanors.
Summary: Robinson was part of a veritable family outing at the riot. Now he, his father, brother and sister-in-law — the latter three are S.C. residents — face criminal charges. Prosecutors say Benjamin Robinson was an eyewitness to one of the deadliest events of the riot. As he pounded and kicked at a locked door on the House side of the building, Ashli Babbitt tried to climb through a shattered window nearby and was fatally shot by police. The Robinsons then left the Capitol.
▪ Dale “DJ” Shalvey, Conover: Sentencing Jan. 20.
Age: 38.
Occupation: Regenerative farmer.
Charges: Pleaded guilty in October to felony counts of obstruction and assault on a police officer.
Summary: After Jan. 6, Shalvey and his wife Tara Stottlemyer moved to North Carolina to start a farm in Catawba County. Shalvey is accused of throwing an object at a police officer and later stealing a letter in the Senate chambers from Mitt Romney to Vice President Mike Pence. He faces a sentencing range of 41-51 months.
▪ Grayson Sherrill, Cherryville: trial unscheduled.
Age: 23.
Occupation: Unknown.
Charges: Felony county of assault on a police officer and civil disorder; multiple misdemeanors.
Summary: Sherrill, one of the first N.C. arrests, was turned in to the FBI by family members in the weeks following the riot. The case against him has grown. A superseding indictment filed in December 2021 charged him with two felonies, including assaulting a police officer with a metal pole.
▪ Chris Spencer, Pilot Mountain: trial unscheduled.
Age: Unknown.
Occupation: Unknown.
Charges: Felony obstruction, multiple misdemeanors.
Summary: Spencer was the first North Carolinian arrested in connection with the riot, taken into custody less than two weeks after the violence. A year later, his wife Virginia became the first N.C. defendant sentenced and sent to prison. The couple brought their 14-year-old son to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
▪ Laura Steele, Thomasville: Trial scheduled for Feb. 1.
Age: 54.
Occupation: Former High Point police officer.
Charges: More than 40, including multiple felonies.
Summary: Steele joined the Oath Keepers in early January 2021 at the urging of her Florida brother, then joined other members in a military-style maneuver to enter the Capitol. The brother, Graydon Young, has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Steele, who’s married to an assistant High Point police chief, faces decades in prison if convicted at her February trial. Steele and her seven co-defendants continue to argue that their trial should be moved from Washington, D.C.
▪ Tara Stottlemyer, Conover: sentencing recently moved to Feb. 24.
Age: 37.
Occupation: Regenerative farmer.
Charges: Pleaded guilty in October to felony obstruction.
Summary: Stottlemyer, who faces a sentencing range of 15 to 21 months, and her husband Dale Shalvey could become the first married couple from the state sent to prison for Jan. 6 crimes. She and Shalvey moved to Catawba County from Pennsylvania after Jan. 6.
▪ William Todd Wilson: Newton Grove, sentencing unscheduled.
Age: 45 as of his May plea hearing.
Occupation: Former law enforcement officer and soldier.
Charges: Pleaded guilty in May to seditious conspiracy, felony obstruction. Faces sentencing range of 63-78 months.
Summary: Wilson, the head of the Sampson County chapter of the Oath Keepers, has agreed to testify in the trial against members of the militia group. He helped plan the group’s assault on Jan. 6 and drove to Washington armed with an assault rifle, a 9-millimeter pistol and some 200 rounds of ammunition, which he left at a Virginia hotel. He was the first Oath Keeper to breach the Capitol and later threw his cell phone into the Atlantic to hide his trail.
Federal sentences
▪ Stephen Baker, Garner: misdemeanor, 2 years probation, 9 days in jail.
Age: 32 at the time of his February 2021 arrest.
Occupation: Former music teacher.
Charges: Pleaded guilty in February 2022 to multiple misdemeanors.
Summary: Second N.C. arrest; posted blogs and live video under the name Stephen Ignoramus. According to Buzzfeed, one of his former music students wrote a song about Baker after learning he’d been at the riot. It begins: “Why did you storm the Capitol? You’re not the teacher I knew.”
▪ Easton Cantwell, Waynesville: Sentenced Dec. 6 to 5 months in prison.
Age: 36.
Occupation: Former tea shop owner.
Charges: Pleaded guilty to felony obstruction.
Summary: Friends told the judge that Cantwell lost his business, his home and his friends after his trip to the Capitol and his subsequent arrest. He told the FBI he was never violent, but he was caught on video urging on rioters and pushing against police lines. Cantwell also says he helped pull Police Officer Michael Fanone from the mob. Fanone’s mother was skeptical. “Get in line,” she told the Observer.
▪ James “Les” Little, Claremont: Sentenced in June 2022 to 60 days, three years probation, $500 restitution.
Age: 52 at his sentencing.
Occupation: Retired truck driver.
Charges: Pleaded guilty in November 2021 to misdemeanor unlawful parading in the Capitol.
Summary: Turned in by a relative whom Little texted from inside the Capitol. His judge said a long probation was needed because Little had shown no remorse and the judge wanted to ensure that Little “will not become an active participant in another riot” if his preferred candidate loses.
▪ James Mault, Fort Bragg: sentenced to 44 months.
Age: 30.
Occupation: Former iron worker and Fort Bragg soldier.
Charges: Pleaded guilty in April to felony assault on a police officer.
Summary: Mault received what for now is the longest sentence yet for an N.C. defendant. The former iron worker in New York state re-enlisted in the Army after losing his job when his Jan. 6 involvement came to light. Was seen firing chemical spray at police. Arrested at Fort Bragg.
▪ Cleveland Meredith, Hayesville, sentenced in December 2021 to 28 months.
Age: 53 as of his September 2021 plea hearing.
Occupation: Former Atlanta-area car wash owner.
Charges: Pleaded guilty to communication of interstate threats.
Summary: Meredith arrived at the Capitol a day late but he came heavily armed, texting to family members that Trump “wants HEADS (of traitors) and I’m going to deliver.” He also threatened in multiple messages to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser.
▪ Anthony Scirica, Winston-Salem: Sentenced Jan. 20, 2022 to 15 days, $500 fine, $500 restitution
Age: 26.
Occupation: College student.
Charges: Pleaded guilty to misdemeanor parading, demonstrating, picketing in the Capitol.
Summary: Drove up with his parents; stayed in the Capitol until his phone died. Displayed little remorse during an FBI interview. “It might make a good story, in like, 50 years when I’m a grandfather or something, I don’t know,” said Scirica. “It was more of a . . . I wanted to see for myself what was happening and document it for myself. You can’t really trust other sources.”
▪ Virginia Spencer, Pilot Mountain: Sentenced in January 2022 to 90 days.
Age: 38 at time of sentencing.
Occupation: Unknown.
Charges: Pleaded guilty Sept. 9, 2021, to misdemeanor.
Summary: Spencer, the first N.C. resident sentenced and sent to prison received an unusually harsh sentence for a nonviolent misdemeanor, in part because she and her husband brought their 14-year-old son inside the Capitol. That brought a rebuke from her judge.
▪ Matthew Wood, Reidsville: Sentenced Nov. 28 to a year of home detention, 3 years probation, 100 hours of community service, $2,000 in restitution.
Age: 25.
Occupation: College student.
Charges: Pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of an official proceeding, multiple misdemeanors.
Summary: In a significant break with prosecutors, a D.C. judge sentenced Wood to home detention, not the 57 months in prison recommended by the government. Wood was seen on video urging rioters on but never taking part in the violence himself.
Charged in D.C. Superior Court
▪ Earl Glosser, 40, Matthews: Charged Jan. 6, 2021, with misdemeanor curfew violation and unlawful entry. Convicted Oct. 13, 2022 of unlawful entry. Fined $500, 100 hours of community service.
▪ Tim Scarboro, Monroe, curfew violation. Charges dropped February 2021.
▪ James SmawleyCQ, 27, Charlotte, curfew violation. Charges dropped February 2021.
▪ Jay Thaxton, 46, Concord, curfew violation. Charges dropped February 2021.
▪ Michael Jones, 24, Charlotte, curfew violation. Charges dropped February 2021.
▪ Lance Grames, 42, Sanford, curfew violation and unlawful entry. Sentenced to community service. Case dismissed Sept. 23, 2022.
▪ Jere Brower, 45, Sanford, curfew violation and unlawful entry. March 13 jury trial.
▪ Thomas Gronek, 46, Asheville, arrested Jan. 5 on weapons violations. Charges dropped April 1, 2022 after Gronek was sentenced to time served.
▪ Timothy Kelly, Asheville/Anniston Ala., arrested Jan. 5 on unauthorized use of vehicle charge. Failed to show at his Aug. 11, 2022 arraignment. Bench warrant issued for his arrest should he return to Washington.
This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 2:29 PM.
