The trial of a Conway man accused of using a flagpole to beat a Washington, D.C., police officer who was face down on the steps of the U.S. Capitol is set to begin on Dec. 5. Jury selection will start Nov. 30.
Peter Francis Stager, 43, of Conway, will stand trial in Washington with four other defendants, all of whom are accused of attacking police officers during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, in which supporters of then-President Donald Trump temporarily stopped the joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.
There are nine defendants in the case.
U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan decided to split the group into two separate trials, according to a pretrial order filed Monday in federal court in the District of Columbia.
A trial date for the other four defendants will be set for sometime next year.
During a Feb. 7 hearing, Sullivan tried to set the trial date for all defendants, but attorneys for some defendants objected, saying their clients were considering plea bargains.
During that hearing, Stager's attorney, David Benowitz, asked the judge to set a trial date because his schedule is filling up fast and he suspected the same was true for the attorneys for other defendants in the case. Stager, who remains incarcerated in the District of Columbia jail, has objected to previous attempts to postpone his trial.
At that hearing, attorneys for the government said they suspected the trial would last two weeks, but that was presuming all nine would stand trial together.
According to the judge's order, standing trial with Stager will be Jeffrey Sabol of Kittredge, Colo.; Jake Wade Whitton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Ronald Colton McAbee of Unionville, Tenn.; and Justin Jersey of Flint, Mich.
Besides Stager, Richard "Bigo" Barnett, 62, of Gravette, also faces felony charges in connection with the riot, but he is free on bond. Barnett's trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 12.
Jon Thomas Mott, 39, of Yellville faces misdemeanor charges in connection with the Jan. 6 breach.
All three have pleaded innocent.
Robert Thomas Snow, 78, of Heber Springs pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for "parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol building." He was sentenced to probation and community service.