LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An Elizabethtown man was charged June 28 for allegedly pushing against police and helping other rioters physically fight officers while trying to break into the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, according to an FBI report.
William Stover has been charged with civil disorder, unlawful entry of a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and impeding passage through Capitol grounds.
Stover, 46, was arrested Monday, and his felony and misdemeanor charges were then unsealed in federal court.
It is unclear if Stover has an attorney yet. He is currently lodged in the Oldham County Detention Center.
Courtesy of FBI
According to the charging records, Stover was present at the police line in a tunnel for about an hour pushing to get by officers, according to body worn camera footage.
At one point, Stover is accused of grabbing the side of the tunnel, hoisting himself up, reaching over the heads of riot officers and grabbing the helmet of the nearest police officer.
Stover, according to the arrest report, also obtained a U.S. Capitol Police riot shield, which he handed to another rioter who was climbing up behind him. That person used the shield to fight police, according to the FBI.
William Stover holding police riot shield.
Courtesy of FBI
Eventually, Stover was pushed away from the tunnel, according to the charging summary.
Stover had traveled to Washington with others to attend former President Donald Trump’s Stop the Steal Rally.
A cooperating witness traveling with Stover said Stover admitted fighting with the Proud Boys near the Senate side of the Capitol against police officers. That witness, who is unnamed in the report, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Stover allegedly told the witness he had "body slammed" an officer and hit him, and that the Proud Boys had been impressed and wanted him to join. The witness told investigators where Stover lived.
The witness provided the information against Stover in hopes of receiving a more lenient sentence but no deal has been promised by the government.
On June 4, 2021, law enforcement made contact with Stover at his Elizabethtown home but he would not speak to them, according to the court records.
In the 30 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,069 people have been arrested.
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