A 78-year-old Heber Springs man has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for being in the U.S. Capitol during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Capitol Police encountered Robert Thomas Snow in a third-floor hallway, according to court documents.
The officers ordered Snow and others there to get on the floor at gunpoint. Snow was searched for weapons and then told to leave the building, which he did, according to a "Statement of Offense" filed Thursday in federal court in the District of Columbia.
Snow -- one of four Arkansans charged in connection with the Capitol breach -- pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. Three other misdemeanor charges will be dropped as part of the plea agreement.
Snow entered the plea from Arkansas via teleconference. The hearing was held remotely by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly in the District of Columbia.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 7. Snow faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail, a $5,000 fine and five years of probation.
"Your client acknowledges that the riot that occurred on January 6, 2021, caused, as of May 17, 2021, approximately $1,495,326.55 damage to the United States Capitol," according to the plea agreement. "Your client agrees as part of the plea in this matter to pay restitution to the Architect of the Capitol in the amount of $500."
Kelly told Snow that he didn't know yet what sentence he will impose. Attorneys in the case are to file sentencing memoranda by June 30.
Kelly said he normally conducts sentencing hearings in person, but Snow's attorney, Christopher Macchiaroli, said he will file a motion asking the judge to have the sentencing hearing remotely.
In Thursday's hearing, Kelly asked Snow how far he went in school.
"A total of six years, sir. Four years undergraduate and two years graduate," said Snow.
"I assume you can read and write," said the judge.
"Yes, sir," he replied.
Snow told the judge that he is a U.S. citizen and was born in New Orleans.
Kelly asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Prout if the plea offer that Snow had accepted was the most lenient one offered to him in the case.
"Yes, your honor," she said. "This is the only offer that was extended to the defendant."
The charge Snow pleaded guilty to is 40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(G) -- Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building.
The three charges that were dropped as part of the plea agreement were:
• 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(l) -- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds.
• 18 U.S.C. § l752(a)(2) -- Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds.
• 40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(D) -- Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building.
The Jan. 6, 2021, riot escalated from a "Stop the Steal" rally, with supporters of former President Donald Trump entering the Capitol and attempting to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote indicating that Joe Biden had won the presidential election.
According to the "Statement of Offense" filed Thursday, with facts agreed upon by both sides, Snow left Arkansas on Jan. 5, 2021, driving himself to Washington, D.C.
Along the way, he met a large caravan of Texas residents at a Tennessee gas station.
"Like Snow, the caravan was traveling to Washington, D.C. to hear President Trump speak," according to the statement. "Snow exchanged contact information with the Texas caravan using an app on his cellular phone. Snow communicated with the caravan during the remainder of his drive to Washington, D.C."
On Jan. 6, 2021, Snow attended the "Stop the Steal" rally at the Ellipse, a park south of the White House.
"At approximately 1:15 p.m., Snow walked with a crowd toward the U.S. Capitol," according to the court filing. "While on the Capitol grounds, Snow observed several chaotic scenes involving Metropolitan Police Officers using chemical munitions for crowd control. Snow observed several individuals becoming violent toward police and other government personnel."
About an hour later, the Senate wing door of the U.S. Capitol building was breached when rioters broke windows, climbed inside the building and then kicked the door open from the inside, according to the statement.
"A stream of people proceeded to enter the building through the door and the broken windows," according to the document. "At approximately 2:15 p.m., Snow entered the U.S. Capitol building through the Senate wing door while talking on his cell phone. Once inside, Snow walked upstairs through multiple locations including the Rotunda and Statuary Hall and then made his way up another set of stairs to the third floor."
Snow was wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt, dark knit hat and "light blue cooler around his person," according to court documents.
Half an hour later, Snow encountered law enforcement officers with weapons drawn in a hallway on the third floor, according to the Statement of Offense.
"The officers directed Snow and others present to get on the floor," according to the filing. "Snow complied and was patted down for weapons. No weapons were found, and the officers directed Snow and the others to leave. Snow exited the U.S. Capitol building through the east Rotunda doors at approximately 2:58 p.m."
"Snow admits that he willfully and knowingly entered the U.S. Capitol building knowing that he did not have permission to do so," according to the statement. "Snow further admits that while inside the Capitol, he willfully and knowingly paraded, demonstrated or picketed."
Three other Arkansans have been charged in connection with the Capitol breach: Richard "Bigo" Barnett, 61, of Gravette; Peter Francis Stager, 42, of Conway; and Jon Thomas Mott, 39, of Yellville.
All three have pleaded innocent. Barnett's trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 6. Trials haven't been scheduled yet for Stager or Mott.
Barnett and Stager have been charged with felony crimes.
Barnett is charged with taking a dangerous weapon -- a stun gun -- into the U.S. Capitol during the riot. He gained considerable media attention after posing for pictures with his foot on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office suite.
Stager is accused of using a flagpole to beat a police officer who was down on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
Mott has been charged with the same four misdemeanors that Snow was initially charged with.