CT man arrested on charges related to Jan. 6 insurrection

WASHINGTON DC (WFSB) – A Waterford man has been arrested in connection with the insurrection at the nation's Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that 56-year-old James Roe Cleary of Waterford has been charged with obstructing law enforcement during a disturbance.

In addition to the felony, Cleary was charged with simple assault, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, according to officials .

The FBI said it arrested Cleary in Waterford on Thursday. His first court appearance was scheduled for the District of Connecticut.

The Ministry of Justice provided the investigative court documents. Check them out below.

According to the documents, Cleary was identified in open source and video footage near the opening of the Lower West Terrace Tunnel on January 6, 2021 in Washington DC, during a period of intense fighting between rioters and police. The tunnel was the scene of some of the most violent attacks against police that day.

Officials claimed Cleary was moving toward the mouth of the tunnel as clashes continued between police guarding the tunnel entrance and rioters trying to force their way through the entrance.

At approximately 4:26 p.m., Cleary allegedly positioned himself at the mouth of the tunnel, where he quickly moved inside and made a swiping motion toward a police officer's head. A police body-worn camera showed Cleary helping pull a rioter out of the tunnel about 10 seconds later. He then returned to the mouth of the tunnel and allegedly again made a wiping or reaching gesture with his hand in the direction of the police officers.

Court documents say that around 4:27 p.m., a Metropolitan Police Department officer was pushed to the ground and rioters tried to drag the officer's body out of the tunnel and into the crowd. Cleary was filmed on a body-worn camera climbing over the bodies of a fallen rioter and the downed police officer to grab a baton on the ground. Cleary then passed the baton to another rioter and returned to the front of the tunnel.

According to the documents, at about 4:28 p.m., Cleary helped pull a second rioter, who had been filming and was trapped, out of the tunnel and moved north along the side of the Capitol building and stood under a window when rioters began breaking the glass. Video footage and images showed that Cleary remained near the window and watched as rioters passed furniture through the broken window to other rioters who were closer to the mouth of the tunnel.

As Cleary stood near the broken window, he grabbed and pushed a person wearing camera equipment. An open source video showed Cleary leaving the immediate area shortly afterwards.

Officials said the case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department's Counterterrorism Division. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut provided assistance.

This case was investigated by the FBI's New Haven and Washington field offices with assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the months since the riot, more than 1,504 people have been charged with crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol in nearly all 50 states, including more than 560 people with assault or hindering law enforcement, a felony.

The Justice Department said the investigation is ongoing.

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