Rioter Pleads Guilty To Smashing Media Equipment

October 29, 2022 Extremists, Trump cultists

From the Justice Department:

A Virginia man pleaded guilty today to felony charges for destroying media equipment and other illegal conduct 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 2020 presidential election.

Joshua Dillon Haynes, 40, of Covington, Virginia, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to obstruction of an official proceeding and destruction of property.

At about 4:50 p.m., a large crowd of rioters made its way to and past a media staging area that was set up outside the northeast corner of the Capitol, on the grounds.

Media members were forced to flee the area before they could recover their cameras and associated equipment.

Numerous members of the crowd destroyed equipment, including cameras, tripods, and remote broadcasting equipment.

At about 5 p.m., Haynes picked up and slammed down multiple pieces of equipment that belonged to media outlets.

Later Jan. 6, after the equipment at the media staging area was destroyed, Haynes sent an associate a text message saying, “broke lotsa stuff.”

He then sent an image with the message, “We attacked the CNN reporters and the fake news and destroyed tens of thousands of dollars of their video and television equipment.”

He also sent this message to the same associate, “I want to get busted for tearing up the nations capital and the fake news.”

Haynes was arrested on July 1, 2021, in Covington, Virginia. He is to be sentenced on Jan. 31, 2023.

He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison for obstruction of an official proceeding and up to five years in prison for destruction of property

Law & Crime reports:



Months after being charged in connection with the Jan. 6th attack, Virginia man Joshua Dillon Haynes racked up other felony charges in state court for abusing a family member. Charges in that domestic violence case included malicious bodily injury, strangling and multiple misdemeanor charges.

After an unidentified associate told Haynes that he shouldn’t “be like antifa tearing stuff up,” the Virginia man replied “ahhhh tooooo late,” “broke lotsa stuff,” and “lol,” according to court papers.

Though Haynes denied being a member of the Proud Boys to law enforcement, the FBI says that he attended one of the group’s meetings in Fredericksburg, Va., in late 2020 — and had dinner with its members.

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