North Carolina Man Faces Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Role in January 6 Capitol Breach

A North Carolina man has been arrested and is facing felony and misdemeanor charges for his role in the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol. According to a report by the Department of Justice, the suspect, identified as Paul Marvin Nowell, 44, of Wendell, North Carolina, has been accused of several offenses that occurred during the joint session of Congress tasked with ascertaining and counting the electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election.

Nowell has been charged with obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder, a felony, and also faces three misdemeanor charges, including entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds. He was arrested by the FBI in Wendell and is expected to make his initial appearance in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the DOJ reported.

Court documents reveal that after attending the "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington, D.C., Nowell made his way to the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol. There, Nowell allegedly stood near other rioters who used bike rack barricades to climb up to the West Terrace. He reportedly moved up to the Northwest steps leading to the Upper West Terrace and confronted a line of police officers, telling them, "You are not Americans." Despite commands from the officers to move back, Nowell and other rioters refused, with Nowell shaking his head and stating, "It doesn't make sense." Officers' attempts to clear the Northwest steps were allegedly met with resistance from Nowell, who is accused of pushing against an officer's shield, as detailed by DOJ.

The DOJ indicated that Nowell remained in the area for several minutes, standing in front of the line of officers as they continued to command the crowd to "move back" and "back up." Nowell eventually cleared the area around 5:05 p.m. This case, now in the hands of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section, is receiving assistance from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The FBI's Charlotte and Washington Field Offices led the investigation with Nowell being identified as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #452, according to the DOJ's press release.

Since the January 6 events, over 1,470 individuals have been charged across various states for crimes related to the Capitol breach. Of those, more than 530 have been charged with assault or impeding law enforcement, which is a felony.