When detailing the specifics of the latest charges against Trump, The Washington Post reported, “Describing the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol as an ‘unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,’ special counsel Jack Smith said the attack was ‘fueled by lies’ from Trump. The former president is expected to appear, either in person or virtually, before a Washington federal court Thursday for his arraignment.”
And that’s where Texas and, more specifically, North Texas, come into the picture. Again. The current national spotlight on Jan. 6 gives us a chance to update the leaderboard when it comes to state residents who have been arrested for their involvement in the Capitol riot. New announcements of Texans accused of breaching the Capitol on that surreal day when thousands of pro-Trump protesters disrupted the joint session of Congress seeking to certify the presidential election continue to appear with regularity.
On Wednesday, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia announced that Dustin Ray Williams, 32, of Brady, was arrested in Dallas on Tuesday. According to a press release, Williams is charged with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder, along with other misdemeanor offenses, including violent conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
Texas Man Arrested on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach. @FBIWFO @FBISanAntonio @USAO_WDTX @NDTXnews @CapitolPolice @DCPoliceDept https://t.co/oByzn7xgul
— U.S. Attorney DC (@USAO_DC) August 2, 2023
According to the government's statement of facts, Williams helped the feds build their case against him the way many other insurrectionists have, by plastering videos of their participation all over their social media pages. The authorities noted that Williams posted videos to his Facebook page from the Capitol on Jan 6., 2021, as well as the next day, when he shared a clip of himself titled "The TRUTH about the DC Capitol Riots from a first hand witness[.]”
The press release went on to state that “in the 30 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,069 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.”
A significant number of those arrested are from Texas.
The Lone Star State has been one of the leaders in rioting residents arrested since the feds began slapping cuffs on folks they spotted in surveillance videos and social media posts following the insurrection. On the anniversary of the riots, the Observer reported that Texas has tallied 66 arrests in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the peaceful transfer of power. On top of all that, two of the most high-profile riot-related arrests, Jenna Ryan and Stuart Rhodes, have ties to the area. Rhodes, the founder of far-right militia group The Oath Keepers, was sentenced on May to 18 years in federal prison for seditious conspiracy and other charges, the strongest penalty from the Jan. 6 attacks so far.
Although the pace of arrests of Texans has slowed, it by no means has stopped. In March, KERA reported that the number had surpassed 70, and by our own count now, more than 80 people from Texas have been charged with crimes related to the Jan 6. riot.
Of that number, around half have already pleaded guilty or have been sentenced. More than 20 of those arrested hail from North Texas cities, including Dallas (Luke Russell Coffee), Plano (Jason Lee Hyland), Carrollton (David Lee Judd), McKinney (Kevin Sam Blakely), Corinth (Daniel Goodwyn), Garland (Robert Wayne Dennis), Richardson (Garret Miller), Fort Worth (John Thomas Ballard), Hurst (Donald Hazard) and Arlington (Jason Farris).
As was the case one year following the Capitol riot, Florida remains ahead of Texas in this dubious category, with Ron DeSantis’ Sunshine State boasting more than 90 residents having been arrested for their roles in the Jan 6. breach. But given that Texas is a fertile ground for extremism, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone if the day comes, sooner or later, when Texas finds itself atop the insurrection arrest leaderboard.
