New indictment lists numerous North Carolina links to violent assault on U.S. Capitol
North Carolina was in the middle of a multi-state conspiracy to recruit, train and arm potentially violent militia members to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, a new federal indictment shows.
The 15-page filing released Wednesday charges two Ohio residents and a Virginia man with four federal crimes tied to the riot, which left five dead, hundreds injured and caused millions of dollars in damages to the Capitol.
Federal prosecutors said all three have ties to the Oath Keepers, a shadowy far-right, anti-government militia, whose members began recruiting and training volunteers in November to go to Washington to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the presidential election.
At least two of the three either trained in North Carolina or appeared to be coordinating plans to storm the Capitol with counterparts from the Tar Heel State, the indictment shows.
The indictment names Donovan Ray Crowl and Jessica Marie Watkins, both of Champaign County, Ohio, and Thomas Edward Caldwell of Clarke County, Va. One of the charges filed against them — obstructing an official proceeding — carries up to a 20-year prison sentence.
So far, only one North Carolina resident faces federal charges connected to the Capitol siege.
But Wednesday’s indictment includes multiple references to the state — as a training site as well as a supplier of munitions and militia members pledging to stop Joe Biden from becoming president.
Crowl, according to the indictment, took part in a December training exercise at an unidentified N.C. location.
In a Dec. 30 exchange of text messages a week before the riot, Watkins said she would reach out to an unidentified co-conspirator to “see if NC boys are coming” to the protests.
Caldwell, her counterpart in Virginia, responded two hours later:
“At least one full bus 40+ people coming from N.C.,” he wrote, according to the indictment.
On Jan. 1, Caldwell sent another text referring to N.C. members of the Oath Keepers, which is largely made up of former or current military and police who have pledged “to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Caldwell, Crowl and Watkins, whom prosecutors say belong to the group, are also veterans.
“Oathkeeper friends from North Carolina are taking commercial buses up early in the morning on the 6th and back same night,” Caldwell wrote, according to the indictment.
The indictment also refers to “Person Three,” who Caldwell and Watkins had contacted for information about the N.C. contingent. On the day of the assault, according to the indictment, Person Three appears to have a heavily armed contingency plan.
“(He) is committed to being the quick reaction force (and is) bringing the tools if something goes to hell,” Caldwell said in a message, according to the indictment. “(He) will have the goodies in case things go bad and we need to get heavy.”
Later, Caldwell and Crowl talked about their motel lodgings in Arlington, Va., where, according to Caldwell, “We will link up with the north carolina crew.”
On Jan. 6, Crowl and Watkins joined a line of people wearing Oath Keepers garb or battle gear “who moved in an organized and practiced fashion up the steps on the east side of the Capitol.” The indictment doesn’t say if any North Carolinians were involved.
Inside the Capitol, the intruders communicated with the walkie-talkie app Zello on a channel named “Stop the Steal J6.”
“We have a good group,” Watkins said over the channel. “We have about 30-40 of us. We are sticking together and sticking to the plan.”
An unknown male voice responded at one point: “Get it, Jess. Do your ----ing thing ... Everything we ----ing trained for.”
As of Wednesday, more than 150 people from almost 40 states face federal charges in connection with the riot.
That includes N.C. resident Christopher Raphael Spencer, 40, of Pilot Mountain, who live-streamed video of himself inside the Capitol. He is charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds; and obstruction of justice.
At least seven other N.C. men face charges of unlawful entry or curfew violations. Two Asheville men were arrested the night before the protests on weapons- or driving-related charges.
Other arrests could be coming. Federal authorities in Washington said this week they have opened criminal files on some 400 individuals and could bring sedition charges against some of them “very soon.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, which is heading the investigation along with the FBI, did not respond to an Observer email Thursday seeking comment.
Trump, who left office on Jan. 20, and his followers have blamed his loss to Biden on a vast election conspiracy that has been rejected by several members of Trump’s own administration and dozens of courts around the country.
He has since become the first U.S. president to be impeached twice, accused of inciting his followers to violently overthrow the election results.
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 4:30 PM with the headline "New indictment lists numerous North Carolina links to violent assault on U.S. Capitol."
