A Mt. Juliet man was arrested Friday on accusations in his role during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol , according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Middle District of Tennessee.
Nicholas Waldon Smotherman, 41, is charged obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, which are felonies.
Smotherman is also charged with multiple misdemeanors, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Those include entering and remaining in restricted grounds or buildings, disorderly and disruptive conduct in restricted grounds or buildings, engaging in physical violence in restricted grounds or buildings, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds, and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
The FBI arrested Smotherman Friday in Hermitage.
According to court documents, Smotherman was identified among a crowd of rioters on the Upper West Plaza of the U.S. Capitol grounds where a group of rioters had begun pulling on the bike racks.
Capitol riot arrests: See who's been charged across the U.S.
Smotherman was allegedly seen next to the group, appearing to advance toward at a law enforcement officer. After police commanded the rioters to move back, the rioters are accused of pulling the bike rack barricades to the ground.
Smotherman is accused of moving forward toward the police line and it is alleged that Smotherman then approached the officer and pushed the officer with both hands, which also led to a verbal exchange and a struggle of a police officer's baton, according to court documents.
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mt. Juliet man arrested for role in U.S. Capitol riot, U.S. Attorney's Office announces
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