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Frederick County, VA school board member charged with Jan 6. crimes at the Capitol
2024-03-09
Miles Brandon Adkins, Frederick County, VA School Board MemberPhoto byJessica Griffin (background CC 4.0) / Watchful Eye
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A Frederick County School Board Member has been hit with federal charges for activities in Washington DC at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The allegations outlined in the criminal complaint against Miles B. Adkins, in many cases, are corroborated by self-incriminating evidence he shared via Facebook.
For example, the FBI was able to determine that he planned to go to Washington DC because he discussed the trip ahead of time with a friend and offered that individual a ride, Adkins’ Facebook messages show.
And authorities know that he not only went to DC but also to the Capitol because, in addition to open-source video and closed circuit video, they have pictures and video he sent via social media while in the building, the complaint notes.
An FBI Special Agent who investigated Adkins noted that the exterior plaza of the U.S. Capitol was closed on Jan. 6 and only authorized people with appropriate identification were allowed inside the building.
During his FBI interview, Adkins reportedly admitted walking to the Capitol with a group. He said there were no barriers up when he arrived but acknowledged there were people scuffling with people and loud noises that he believed were flashbang detonations.
Still, Adkins appears to have proceeded to the building. Images in the complaint show him coming up the Capitol’s stairs and entering the building at about 2:15 p.m., which was “within minutes of the first breach,” the complaint notes.
After Adkins was inside the Capitol, the FBI has a photo that they say is him helping someone else through a broken window. A Watchful Eye video shows that and other images the FBI used to support the complaint.
Clip from video showing the "CHUCK" hat the FBI used to help identify Adkins.Photo byWatchful Eye
According to the FBI, one of the ways that they were able to identify Adkins among the crowds as he moved throughout the building was because he’d shared a picture of himself wearing a “CHUCK” hat, scarf, and gray jacket, which they were able to identify in other images and footage.
According to the complaint, although Adkins admitted being there, the FBI said he didn’t want to discuss what he did while in the Capitol. But images and his messages fill in some of the details.
The FBI claim to have imagery of him doing things, such as carrying a large flag, placing and leaving “items” at the base of statue, and dancing in the middle of a group.
In a Facebook exchange, Adkins reported, “I drank fireball and a coors lite in the capitol.” The video shows images the Feds say is Adkins walking around with “a large, canned beverage.”
Footage captured Adkins’ exit at 3:33 p.m., over an hour after he is shown entering. As he was leaving, “Adkins can be heard yelling “Let’s go get a beer, let’s go get a beer,” the complaint says.
The FBI also notes that Adkins admitted to being associated with the Oath Keepers before that day and communicating with an Oath Keeper on January 6.
Stewart Rhodes, who is reportedly the founder of the Oath Keepers, was sentence to 18 years for charges related to January 6 and other members have also already been convicted.
Adkins is charged with:
Entering and remaining in a restricted building / grounds
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building / grounds
Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
Parading, demonstrating, picketing in a Capitol building.
Adkins was sworn in as an elected member of the Frederick County School Board in December 2021 and began his term of service at the start of 2022. He currently still holds his position.
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