Federal agents arrested a Greenwood man and two of his relatives Thursday for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The FBI in Indianapolis arrested Eric Cantrell, 51, on misdemeanor charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. Jared Cantrell, 38, and Quentin Cantrell, 54, both of Indianapolis, were arrested on the same charges.
A statement of facts filed Monday in federal court says Cantrell and his cousins used threatening and abusive language, threatened to impede the business of Congress and illegally entered the U.S. Capitol building. The FBI first identified the three men after receiving information about Jared Cantrell’s social media posts from independent tipsters, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
In videos taken on Jan. 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol, Eric Cantrell is seen with his two cousins walking toward the building from a Stop the Steal rally in Washington. The three men were later captured on security footage entering the U.S. Capitol building, according to court documents.
In another video, Eric Cantrell is seen on the West Terrace of the Capitol helping Quentin Cantrell climb down a wall. He is seen leaving the Capitol grounds in a separate video, court documents show.
Jared Cantrell posted to Instagram numerous photos of himself and his cousins on Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. In one post, he took a photo of himself and Quentin Cantrell standing in front of the U.S. Capitol building. In the photo, he is seen with his hood up, and is wearing a beanie, sunglasses and neck gaiter.
In another two posts, he posted photos of himself inside the Capitol rotunda. He also posted multiple times on his Facebook account about being at the Capitol, including two posts on Jan. 6 in which he said he was one the first 50 people inside the building, and another in which he just said “Forceful entrance.” He posted on Jan. 7, 2021, saying he didn’t think he broke any laws and he was there as an observer, according to court documents.
Cell phone records for all three men tie them to the interior of the Capitol building, court documents show.
FBI agents arrested the three men Thursday morning at their homes. They made initial appearances in court around 2 p.m in New Albany. None of the men were featured in any of the BOLO photo arrays issued by the FBI, the agency said.
Eric Cantrell is the second Greenwood man — and 10th from Indiana — to be arrested and charged for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of President Donald Trump illegally entered the U.S. Capitol and attempted to interrupt the counting of electoral votes that formalized President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
The first man, Joshua Wagner, pleaded guilty to one count of demonstrating or picketing in the U.S. Capitol building. He was sentenced last month to 30 days in federal prison, and ordered to pay $500 in restitution to the architect of the U.S. Capitol for damages.
