A trial date has been set for one of the four Arkansans who face charges in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the United States Capitol. Here are the basics on his case as well as the cases of the three other Arkansans charged in the riot.
Richard “Bigo” Barnett of Gravette
Barnett was arrested in January 2021. He is accused of taking a stun gun into the U.S. Capitol during the riot and posing for pictures with his foot on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office suite.
He faces charges of:
- Obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting
- Entering a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon
- Disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon
- Entering and remaining in certain rooms in a Capitol building
- Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
- Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building
- Theft of government property
A trial in Barnett’s case has been scheduled for September. He has been released from jail but remains on house arrest.
Peter Francis Stager of Conway
Stager was arrested in January 2021 and is accused of using a flagpole to beat a police officer outside the U.S. Capitol.
One of nine defendants charged in a single case, Stager is charged with:
- Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon
- Obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting
- Civil disorder
- Entering a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon
- Disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon
- Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon
- Violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
He is the only Arkansas defendant charged in the Jan. 6 riot who remains incarcerated. A trial in the case has not been set though his lawyer asked the judge to set one soon.
Jon Thomas Mott of Yellville and Robert Thomas Snow of Heber Springs
Mott and Snow are charged in separate cases with misdemeanor offenses related to the riot. They face counts of:
- Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds
- Engaging in disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds
- Using threatening language, or engaging in disorderly conduct in the Capitol
- Parading, demonstrating or picketing in any of the Capitol buildings
Mott and Snow have each pleaded innocent to all charges and a trial has not been scheduled in either case. Both are out on bond.
Read more about the trial scheduled for Barnett and discussions of a trial for Stager from reporter Bill Bowden, and sign up for our crime and courts newsletter to stay up to date on the cases.