Connecticut Man Arrested for Role in U.S. Capitol Breach
WASHINGTON — A Connecticut resident has been taken into custody in connection with the events of January 6, 2021, when a breach occurred at the U.S. Capitol. This incident disrupted the joint session of Congress tasked with certifying the electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election.
James Roe Cleary, aged 56, from Waterford, Connecticut, faces charges in the District of Columbia. He is accused of a felony offense for obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder.
Beyond the felony charge, Cleary is also accused of multiple misdemeanors. These include simple assault, unauthorized entry and presence in a restricted area, disruptive behavior in a restricted area, engaging in physical violence, and disorderly conduct within the Capitol building.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Cleary in Waterford. His initial court appearance is set to take place in the District of Connecticut.
Court documents reveal that Cleary was identified in various sources and video footage at the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, a critical site of confrontations between rioters and police on that day. This location witnessed some of the most severe attacks on law enforcement during the breach.
Cleary allegedly moved towards the Tunnel’s entrance amid ongoing clashes between police and rioters. By 4:26 p.m., he was positioned at the Tunnel’s mouth, where he is alleged to have made a swiping motion at a police officer’s head. Body-worn camera footage reportedly shows Cleary assisting a rioter out of the Tunnel and then returning to make another gesture toward the police.
Further allegations state that around 4:27 p.m., a Metropolitan Police Department officer was knocked to the ground, and rioters attempted to drag the officer into the crowd. Cleary was captured on camera allegedly navigating over the bodies of a fallen rioter and the officer, picking up a baton, and passing it to another rioter before returning to the Tunnel’s front.
At approximately 4:28 p.m., Cleary allegedly aided another rioter in escaping the Tunnel, after which he moved alongside the Capitol and stood beneath a window as others broke its glass. Video and images suggest Cleary remained nearby, observing as furniture was passed through the broken window.
While near the window, Cleary is accused of grabbing and pushing an individual with camera gear. Open-source video footage reportedly shows Cleary departing the area shortly afterward.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, together with the Department of Justice’s National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, is prosecuting this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut has been instrumental in providing assistance.
The FBI’s New Haven and Washington Field Offices are leading the investigation, with support from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Since January 6, 2021, over 1,504 individuals from nearly all 50 states have faced charges related to the Capitol breach. This includes more than 560 people accused of assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a serious felony. Investigations are ongoing.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
