Another individual has been swept up in the ongoing crackdown following the events of January 6, 2021, when an agitated mob disrupted the normal flow of democracy. In Waterford, Connecticut, 56-year-old James Roe Cleary found himself in the grips of the FBI, arrested on multiple charges stemming from his alleged participation in the U.S. Capitol breach. Among the charges filed in the District of Columbia, Cleary faces a felony for obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.
According to the official complaint, and a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia, Cleary's engagement in the turmoil of that fateful day was not without significant consequence. He is accused of having forcibly inserted himself into the chaotic scenes near the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, a location that crystallized the day's violence against law enforcement. His alleged actions included a swipe at a police officer's head and passing off a baton to another rioter.
With over 1,504 individuals charged across the nation, Cleary joins a substantial list of people facing legal repercussions for their roles in the Capitol siege, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia. His arrest was the fruit of a coordinated effort involving several law enforcement agencies, as noted in the affidavit supporting his arrest. Cleary's misdemeanor offenses also encapsulate simple assault, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, among others.
The FBI has continued to vigilantly piece together footage and open-source evidence from the day, scrutinizing the documented violence to rightfully identify participants. In Cleary's case, body-worn camera and other video footage appeared to decisively capture his alleged movements and actions during the breach, from helping to extricate a rioter from the melee to standing by a smashed Capitol window.
