An Ohio resident was found guilty of crimes, including the assault on law enforcement, connected to the January 6 Capitol riot, authorities announced. Jonathan Joseph Copeland, 29, from Lima, faced a bench trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where he was convicted on six felony and two misdemeanor counts by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich.

As per information from the U.S. Department of Justice, Copeland was found guilty of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, among other offenses. Alongside these felonies, he was convicted for an act of physical violence in the Capitol building and parading in it, both misdemeanors. Post-conviction, he awaits sentencing, set for September 18.

Detailing Copeland's involvement in the breach, the DOJ indicated that he traveled to Georgia for a Trump rally before heading to Washington, D.C. He then participated in the "Stop the Steal" event and later pushed through barricades and onto the Capitol grounds. At one point, Copeland, using his full weight, pushed against a "TRUMP" sign wielded as a barricade against police lines.

Evidence and court documents revealed a more disturbing scene, where the Ohio man shoved a photographer amid the chaos and incited further attacks that led to the victim being pushed off a ledge. Copeland's spree of disruption continued inside the Capitol building until he exited via a window near the Senate Wing Door which he had entered through approximately 16 minutes earlier.

FBI agents apprehended Copeland in Fort Shawnee, Ohio on Aug. 25, 2022, cementing his part in the insurrection that saw over 1,424 individuals facing charges nationwide. Over 500 of these individuals were charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. Despite the time that has passed since the Capitol breach, investigations by the authorities continue forcefully.