Blue Earth man arrested, accused in Jan. 6 insurrection
MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - On Jan. 6, 2021, camera footage from the U.S. Capitol building and body-worn cameras show one suspect leading and beckoning rioters past barricades, making exclamations to cameras, pushing through officers, and eventually, climbing on top of a wall and raising a clenched fist in the air.
Court documents from the DOJ say the suspect was later identified as 34-year-old Paul Orta Jr. of Blue Earth, Minnesota.
A criminal complaint lays out Orta Jr.’s alleged actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Prosecutors say Orta Jr. told federal investigators that he ‘wanted to do the right thing’ when he met with FBI agents at the Minneapolis field office on January 25, 2021.
Video shows Orta entering restricted, barricaded grounds, and calling others to follow him.
Court documents say that Orta Jr. told prosecutors he had gone past the ‘first barrier’ of the security perimeter, but denied entering the Capitol building.
Supplied with video, the DOJ alleges Orta Jr. joined rioters in pulling bike racks away from law enforcement attempting to keep the Capitol building secure, all while Congress attempted to certify 2020 presidential election results.
Law enforcement also claims that Orta Jr. threw an unknown, dark-colored object toward officers attempting to hold back the rioting crowd.
Orta Jr. told FBI agents he hadn’t thrown anything or hit anyone that ‘he could recall.’
Police arrested Orta Jr. on November 14, years after the insurrection.
Orta Jr. faces one federal felony charge of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder.
He also faces two federal misdemeanor charges: one for entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds and the other for disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
Orta Jr. will make his initial appearance in the Federal District of Minnesota tomorrow.
With Orta Jr.’s arrest, he joins more than 1,200 people charged as a result of alleged activity during the Capitol assault.
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