Sandpoint man charged in connection with Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot pleads not guilty
A Sandpoint man arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol pleaded not guilty to all charges in federal court Tuesday.
Michael Anthony Pope was arrested in February and is currently charged with multiple counts, including two felonies: obstructing or impeding an official proceeding and civil disorder.
Pope was also charged with several misdemeanors: impeding ingress and egress to a restricted building or grounds; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; impeding passage through the capitol ground; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a U.S. Capitol building.
Pope and his brother William Pope, of Kansas, who was indicted on the same counts, join more than 700 people nationwide that have been charged as part of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the insurrection, when thousands of supporters of former President Donald Trump charged through police lines and stormed the Capitol. Six Idahoans have been charged in federal court.
William Pope pleaded not guilty to all charges Tuesday.
Pope and his brother can be seen on U.S. Capitol security footage in the hallway outside Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, as well as in other locations in the building, according to a statement of facts filed by the FBI. Video footage shows Michael Pope entering a Capitol elevator, after which it appears he “initially refused” to comply with a police officer’s request to leave.
Three officers then removed him from the elevator. On Jan. 12, 2021, William Pope left a message on an FBI tip line asking to turn himself in, authorities said. Later that month, he voluntarily submitted to an interview with the FBI.
His next appearance in court is Friday, March 11.
This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 1:21 PM.
