First Minnesotan Charged With Trespassing At U.S. Capitol During January Insurrection
This story was originally published on March 19, 2021
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Prosecutors have charged the first Minnesotan accused of being involved in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The FBI says 31-year-old Jordan Stotts from Moorhead was arrested Friday by the Minneapolis branch of the FBI. Stotts immediately made his first appearance in U.S. District court in Bemidji, where he was released on a $25,000 bond with travel restrictions.
In a criminal complaint released Friday, Stotts told the FBI that he drove down to Washington D.C. alone to attend a rally for then President Donald Trump because he wanted "to make his voice heard and be part of it."
Stotts then went on to tell the FBI that he entered the U.S. Capitol with part of the crowd from the rally, just before 3 p.m. on Jan. 6.
Security camera footage from Capitol Police shows Stotts inside the Capitol rotunda area. Stotts told investigators he was inside the building for about an hour.
After he left the Capitol, Stotts posted a picture to his Facebook page with the caption: "Patriots! I got kicked out but I'll be back!" The picture shows his view looking back at the crowd on the Capitol steps.
That Facebook picture, and other posts, ended up being used against him. Investigators say one of Stotts' former classmates took screenshots and turned them over to the FBI.
Agents also found a Facebook post from Stotts a few days after the insurrection, saying that he was apparently a "wanted man" and would be off the grid for a while.
Although Stotts was arrested in Minnesota, this is a federal case, so he'll be prosecuted out of Washington D.C.