LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (ABC4) – The man photographed in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during Wednesday’s riot at the U.S. Capitol is now in federal custody.
ABC4’s Arkansas affiliate reports Richard Barnett of Arkansas turned himself in at the Benton County Sheriff’s Office on Friday morning and was in FBI custody Friday.
Barnett made headlines after a photo of him sitting at Pelosi’s desk went viral.
KARK reports Barnett told reporters at the scene that he had taken items from Pelosi’s office.
He now faces multiple federal charges.
According to ABC4’s affilate, shortly after the photos of the break in were circulated, Christine Pelosi, a Democratic strategist and Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, posted a tweet, stating this was, in fact, not her mother’s desk, as had been previously reported.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee said 68 people were arrested in D.C. from Wednesday afternoon into Thursday morning. Of those arrested, 60 were men and eight were women and only one of the arrestees was from DC. Forty-one of the arrests occurred on Capitol grounds.
Lawmakers have vowed an investigation into how law enforcement handled Wednesday’s violent breach at the Capitol, questioning whether a lack of preparedness allowed a mob to occupy and vandalize the building.
Among those arrested is Illinois-native Brad Rukstales, CEO of tech company Cogensia.
“Brad Rukstales, as an employee of Cogensia, was acting as an individual during his arrest, nothing related to Cogensia. We’re currently taking the situation seriously, and we’re working with our attorneys and we’re investigating it, and he’s currently on an indefinite leave of absence from the company,” a Cogensia spokesperson said.
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