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Colorado Springs man arrested Thursday in connection with Jan. 6 breach of US Capitol

Jan. 6 Capitol riot
Posted at 12:34 PM, Mar 31, 2023
and last updated 2023-06-13 13:00:29-04

WASHINGTON, DC — A man from Colorado Springs was arrested Thursday in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Jonathan David Grace, 49, was arrested in Denver on felony and misdemeanor charges. He is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building, obstructing or impeding passage through or within the grounds or any of the Capitol Buildings, and engaging in physical violence in the grounds or any of the Capitol Buildings, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

He is expected to make his first appearance in court on Friday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia outlined the case against Grace, in which it said that he was among the rioters "who repeatedly engaged in violence against law enforcement officers guarding the Capitol" on Jan. 6, 2021.

Grace was allegedly part of the group confronting law enforcement officers in the Lower West Terrace and tunnel areas of the Capitol. He went into the tunnel on the Lower West Terrace at 3:12 p.m. and moved through a mob that was coordinating pushes against police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

"While Grace joined in collective pushes, one police officer screamed in pain as the weight of the rioters’ pushes pinned him between a shield and a door," the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.

Grace left the tunnel, handed his beanie and backpack to another person, and re-entered, making his way to the front of the rioters as they pushed against police. The officers were able to clear the rioters out of the tunnel and Grace watched as a group dragged an officer out of the tunnel and "brutally attacked him," the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Grace then allegedly continued helping the rioters push against police in the tunnel again.

His case is being investigated by the FBI’s Denver Field Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. He is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Grace is one of several Coloradans charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, and several others either traveled there from Colorado or were arrested in Colorado to face federal charges:

  • Jacob Clark of Trinidad was arrested in April 2021 on multiple charges in connection to the Jan. 6 riot. He demanded police officers to stand down during the attack.
  • Glen Wes Lee Croy, of Colorado Springs, pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing inside the Capitol in August 2021. He was sentenced in November to 90 days of house arrest along with 14 days in a community correctional facility. He called himself an idiot.
  • Tyler Earl Ethridge of Colorado Springs was arrested in July 2022 in Denver and faces six federal charges for his participation in the riot. He is a pastor who graduated from Charis Bible College in Woodland Park.
  • Robert Gieswein of Woodland Park was arrested and faced multiple charges in January 2021 in connection to the Jan. 6 riot, including assault on an officer "with a spray canister, temporary barrier, and baseball bat," according to his arrest affidavit. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge in early March 2023.
  • Jonathan David Grace of Colorado Springs was arrested on March 30, 2023 on felony and misdemeanor charges.
  • Logan Grover of Erie was charged in April 2021 with disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds, and demonstrating in a capitol building. He pleaded guilty in July 2022. He served in the Army Reserve for nearly 10 years and was deployed to Iraq, according to The Denver Post. He was sentenced to a month of house arrest and two years' probation in February 2023.
  • Thomas Patrick Hamner of Peyton was arrested and charged in November 2021. Videos allegedly showed him fighting with Capitol and Metropolitan Police. In September 2022, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
  • Lisa Ann Homer of Colorado Springs was arrested in November 2021 in Colorado Springs. She faces charges of illegally entering the capitol, disorderly and disruptive conduct on capitol grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building. She was sentenced to three years' probation, 60 hours of community service, a $5,000 fine and $500 restitution.
  • Jennifer Horvath of Colorado Springs was arrested and charged in May 2022 on multiple federal charges. She was located after FBI agents linked her to her boyfriend Glen Wes Lee Croy (listed above), who was also arrested, charged and sentenced for his involvement. She was sentenced in November 2022 to 36 months of probation, including 90 days of home confinement and 14 days at a residential facility, plus a $500 restitution.
  • Klete Keller, an Olympian from Colorado Springs, pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding after storming the U.S. Capitol in September 2021. He faces 21 to 27 months in prison. His sentencing date is TBD.
  • Avery Carter MacCracken of San Miguel County was charged in December 2021 with assaulting officers in the Jan. 6 riot. He was arrested in Norwood on six federal charges. He was captured on videos and in photos fighting with U.S. Capitol Police officers.
  • Patrick Montgomery of Douglas County was charged in January 2021 with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. According to an affidavit for his arrest, federal investigators were tipped off by someone who saw Montgomery in photos from inside the Capitol posted to Facebook. He pleaded not guilty.
  • Daniel Michael Morrissey was charged in federal court in November 2021 for illegally entering the U.S. Capitol. He pleaded guilty to disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and was sentenced to 45 days of incarceration and 26 months of probation in mid-August.
  • Hunter Palm of Colorado Springs was arrested in May 2021 after he allegedly entered U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on Jan. 6. He was identified to federal investigators by a family member. He was arrested in May 2021 and indicted the following month. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.
  • Jeffrey Sabol of Jefferson County is accused of dragging a police officer down steps to be beaten by an American flag outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. A federal judge denied him bail in April 2021. After the attack, prosecutors said he tried to fly to Switzerland.
  • Timothy Williams of Trinidad was charged in June 2021 with multiple federal crimes. FBI agents found Williams on videos of the rioters inside the Capitol that day.

Since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 people have been arrested in every state in connection with the breach of the U.S. Capitol. More than 320 people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement officers.


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