Another Iowan has been arrested and charged for their alleged role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. According to the FBI, Daryl Johnson of St. Ansgar was taken into custody on Friday. According to federal records, Johnson is at least the sixth Iowan to face criminal charges for their purported involvement in the deadly riot.
Investigators say Iowan Daryl Johnson and his son Daniel Johnson, of Austin, Minnesota, were among those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The Johnsons are the son and grandson of Norman Johnson, a former mayor of St. Ansgar, a city of about 1,200 just south of the Minnesota state line in Mitchell County.
According to a criminal complaint, both men posted on social media about their involvement in the insurrection, with the younger Johnson writing that he and his father were among “the first ones inside."
Today agents from the FBI Omaha Cedar Rapids Resident Agency arrested Daryl Johnson of Saint Ansgar, Iowa. He faces federal charges relating to the events at the Capitol Building on 1/6/21. Charging documents will be available here -https://t.co/uwqmy1NTCc
— FBI Omaha (@FBIOmaha) June 11, 2021
The father and son now face four federal counts:
- Entering and remaining in a restricted building
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building
- Violent entry and disorderly conduct in a capitol building
- Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building
According to a court filing, three people reported the Johnsons to federal officials, who were able to identify them on videos taken during the siege. Investigators’ reviews of the Johnsons' social media accounts showed they posted multiple times about storming the Capitol.
“I was there the media story is completely crap The protestors were peaceful until the police started throwing flash bangs and gas at the peaceful crowd,” reads a post by Daryl Johnson included in the criminal complaint.
In fact, far-right supporters of then-President Donald Trump had planned the invasion of the Capitol for weeks, some making explicit calls to violence in the days ahead of the event, long before Trump exhorted his followers to “fight like hell”. Some rioters carried knives, stun guns and plastic handcuffs.
Roughly 140 police officers were injured during the attack; Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died after trying to defend the Capitol during the siege, during which rioters used, among other weapons, a metal fence stake, a fire extinguisher, and even a pole flying an American flag to beat officers.
Daniel Johnson apparently bragged on social media about his and his father’s involvement in the riot, according to the criminal complaint.
“We stormed capitol hill,” Johnson messaged to another Facebook user. “Lol Dad and I were one of the first ones inside.”
The identities of the Johnsons were confirmed by local law enforcement officers, including a St. Ansgar police officer who said he was familiar with the family from Norman Johnson’s time as mayor.
Federal records show at least six Iowans now face charges for their alleged role in the insurrection, which resulted in the deaths of five people. Other Iowans charged are Doug Jensen, Leo Kelly, Deborah Sandoval, Salvador Sandoval and Kyle Young.
In the wake of the 2020 election, Republican lawmakers in Iowa lent credence to the baseless claims of election fraud that spurred the attack.
