ASHEBORO NC – On January 6th, federal authorities charged a local man from Trinity in connection with the U.S. Capitol Riot.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia charged Bradley Stuart Bennett from Trinity NC with:
- Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds without Lawful Authority and with Intent to Disrupt the Orderly Conduct of Government Business
- Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds
- Entering or Remaining in the Gallery of either House of Congress
- Obstruction of Justice/Official Proceeding
The criminal complaint against Bennett was filed back on March 19th, 2021. Some news outlets reported that this was when Bennett was arrested, but those reports were not accurate. The Department of Justice reports that on April 12th, 2021, Bennett turned himself into authorities and is currently being held at the Mecklenburg County jail.
The FBI began an investigation after receiving several tips identifying Bennett as a participant in the U.S. Capitol Riot on January 6. The F.B.I. spoke with four separate “tipsters” and consulted with other government agencies to identify Bennett in photos, videos, and social media posts connected to the events at the U.S. Capitol.
Bennett posted a video of himself inside the U.S. Capitol where he referenced “patriots [going] to war,” and indicated that he had stormed the U.S. Capitol. Three videos posted to Twitter on January 13, 2021, under the title “IDENTIFIED: Brad Bennet” appeared to have been copied from Bennett’s Facebook page and show Bennett entering the U.S. Capitol, in the Capitol Crypt, and the gallery of the Senate Chamber.
According to the charging document, Bennett was said to have connections to QAnon and frequently posted conspiracy theories on his Facebook and Parler accounts. One tip stated that Bennett’s posts on social media caught the attention of an individual online prior to the January 6th riots because as they stated his posts were “more combative than others’ QAnon posts”.
In the months leading up to the riot, the affidavit noted that Bennett had made numerous posts encouraging people to gather and attend events in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, with Bennett also posting that he would be present. The affidavit also notes that within a day following the riot, Bennett appeared to have deleted most or all of the posts he made about the Riot,
Bennett was charged along with Elizabeth Rose Williams who was identified by the FBI affidavit as Bennett’s girlfriend. Williams who is from Texas had been in a relationship with Bennett for 18 months. Williams was charged with
- Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority and with Intent to Impede or Disrupt the Orderly Conduct of Government Business or Official Functions
- Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds
Bennett appeared for a detention hearing scheduled for April 15, 2021, but no updates have been posted about that hearing as of the time of publication.