Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Officers During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach (original) (raw)

Press Release

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia

Defendant Joined in Attack on Officers in Lower West Terrace Area, Dragged Officer Into the Mob

WASHINGTON — A Michigan man pleaded guilty today to assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Logan James Barnhart, 41, of Holt, Michigan, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Barnhart was part of a mob that confronted law enforcement officers at the Archway leading into the Capitol Building from the Lower West Terrace. During the violence, at approximately 4:27 p.m., another rioter - co-defendant Jack Wade Whitton - began striking at an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) with a crutch. As this was happening, Barnhart climbed over a banister and went up a set of steps leading to the Archway, towards the officer. Whitton grabbed the officer, first by his baton, then by the helmet and the neck of his ballistic vest. As he did this, Barnhart also grabbed the neck of the officer’s ballistic vest. He and Whitton, along with another rioter, then dragged the officer down the steps in a prone position and into the crowd, where other rioters beat the officer with weapons, including a flagpole and a baton. As a result of this attack, the officer sustained physical injuries, including bruising and abrasions.

Several minutes later, at approximately 4:32 p.m., Barnhart returned to the Archway, where other rioters were slamming riot shields into the line of police officers. Barnhart pushed other rioters from behind, supporting them and propelling them forward into the line of officers. He then approached the line of officers and struck at them with the base of a flagpole.

Barnhart was arrested in Lansing, Michigan on Aug. 17, 2021. He is to be sentenced on March 9, 2023. He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison, as well as potential financial penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Barnhart is among a group of defendants named in an indictment returned in the District of Columbia. Whitton, 32, of Locust Grove, Georgia, pleaded guilty on Sept. 13, 2022. Another defendant, Justin Jersey, 32, of Flint, Michigan, pleaded guilty on Sept. 7, 2022. Five others have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting further court proceedings.

The case 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. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Barnhart as #128 in its seeking information photos, as well as the FBI’s Detroit Field Office and its Lansing Resident Agency. Significant assistance has been provided in the investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Capitol Police, and other FBI field offices.

In the 20 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 870 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 265 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Updated September 28, 2022

Press Release Number: 22-322