St. Augustine man accused of unlawfully entering Capitol faces judge

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – John Anderson, a St. Augustine man who was arrested on the day of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, went before a federal judge for a second day in a row Friday.

Anderson, 61, is accused of unlawful entry into the Capitol. A judge Friday ordered him held on a $25,000 bond and he was later released from jail. The judge restricted his travel to the Middle District of Florida and he can’t travel to D.C. unless it’s for court.

The FBI on Friday released new photos of Anderson at the Capitol on Jan. 6:

According to the FBI, Anderson appears to pull a police shield from someone that isn’t seen on camera, then pass the shield into the crowd. The FBI said Anderson is also seen touching and assisted in passing a second shield through the crowd.

The FBI said he was also seen on body camera footage holding a shield and that he was told to release the shield repeatedly or that he would get sprayed. As written in the complaint, “An officer’s raised hand is visible with what appears to be a type of spray and Anderson appears to release the shield.”

Anderson told the officers he couldn’t breathe and that he had asthma. He’s seen on video with his arm draped over an officer’s shoulders, who helped him get medical attention.

The complaint makes note that “Anderson had just been sprayed with OC [pepper] spray and was being helped down a hallway by an officer.” It said he was brought to EMT personnel, and later booked, arrested, and given a citation for unlawful entry in DC Superior Court.

The criminal complaint states that in addition to being accused of unlawfully entering the Capitol, Anderson was also accused of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, civil disorder, theft of government property and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Anderson’s next court date was scheduled for March 4.