A total of 22 Georgians have been arrested over charges related to the Jan. 6 insurrection targeting the U.S. Capitol.
Among this group are four people in Gwinnett and Hall counties, with others close by.
Gwinnett arrests have included: Jonathan Davis Laurens of Duluth who pled guilty to charges of:
- Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds without Lawful Authority, and Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds
- Entering and Remaining on the Floor of Congress, Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building and Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
Laurens was sentenced on June 10, 2022 to 60 days of house arrest, 12 months probation, 60 hours community service, and a total of $1,242 in fines and restitutions. He was originally arrested in Duluth on June 30, 2021 and formally charged on July 2, 2021. He entered his guilty plea on Feb. 2, 2022.
Besides entering the premises, Laurens proceeded to take a mirror ‘selfie’ once inside.
John Davis Ross Gould of Duluth was arrested on June 30, 2021 on charges of:
- Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds without Lawful Authority, and Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds
- Entering and Remaining on the Floor of Congress, Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building and Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
Gould’s case is connected to Laurens’ — and he likewsise pled guilty on Feb. 2, 2022. Gould is also one of the ones who actually entered into the House of Representatives amid the surrounding chaos.
According to a Department of Justice’s Statement of Facts for Gould’s case, which directly mentions Laurens:
“The FBI’s investigation into the criminal activity in and around the Capitol grounds on January 6, 2021 determined that Jonathan Davis Laurens, of Duluth, Georgia, was one of the individuals who illegally entered the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
At the time, Laurens was wearing a bright orange winter hat, glasses, a black face mask that at times partially obscured his face, and a “Trump 2020: No More Bullshit” flag as a cape around his neck.
Laurens was captured in several videos inside the Capitol with a second individual wearing a bright yellow shirt, green jacket, black facemask and a white cowboy hat that said, “Team Trump.”
On June 30, 2021, your affiant arrested Laurens at his residence in Georgia for unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
During an interview that morning, Laurens advised Agents that he entered the Capitol with John GOULD. During the interview, a man arrived at Laurens’s residence and spoke with an FBI Agent to inquire as to why Laurens was not at work that morning.“
Glen Mitchell Simon (who may have previously been living in Jefferson) was arrested in Gainesville and charged with:
- Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
- Violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds
Simon surrendered to the charges on May 5, 2021 and was arraigned on May 12, 2021, pleading not guilty to all counts.
He then entered into two consecutive plea agreements on Oct. 15, 2021 and April 29, 2022. Simon was ultimately sentenced to 8 months of incarceration and an additional 12 months of supervised release. He was charged a total of $1,500 in additional fines and restitutions.
Jake Maxwell of Flowery Branch was arrested on Feb. 10, 2022 after a formal complaint was filed the day before. According to the DOJ’s Statement of Facts on Maxwell:
“On April 1, 2021, the FBI conducted a telephone interview of a family member of JAKE MAXWELL (“MAXWELL”). MAXWELL also was on the phone call during the interview. MAXWELL’s family member stated that he, MAXWELL, and a third person traveled to Washington, DC, to attend the rally for President Trump that occurred on January 6, 2021. They traveled there on January 5, 2021, and left on January 7, 2021.
MAXWELL’s family member stated that after the three of them attended the rally on January 6, 2021, they followed the crowd to the U.S. Capitol. In or about October 2021, the FBI received information from a confidential human source identifying MAXWELL as a person who was engaged in physical confrontations with law enforcement officers at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. FBI Atlanta obtained and reviewed copies of body-worn camera (“BWC”) footage of two Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) officers, which was recorded in the West Plaza area of the Capitol grounds on January 6, 2021.
Those videos show a man whose appearance is consistent with the person shown in MAXWELL’s driver’s license photo, which I reviewed and compared to the person shown in the BWC footage. I am further able to identify MAXWELL in this BWC footage because I am familiar with his appearance from interviewing him in person on December 9, 2021. That interview is discussed below. The following describes what the BWC footage shows:
a. MAXWELL banged his hands and pushed on the riot shield of a U.S. Capitol Police officer for several seconds as the officer tried to push him away with the shield:
b. MAXWELL then moved toward an MPD officer, and got into a physical struggle with him. During that struggle, MAXWELL first hooked his arm around the officer’s baton. The officer then got his baton away from MAXWELL and used it to keep MAXWELL away from the line of officers trying to protect the Capitol building from the mob of rioters:
c. MAXWELL then grabbed the officer’s baton with his left hand and pulled on it for about two seconds.”
A list of other Georgians who have been arrested on related charges over the years are as follows:
- Kevin Douglas Creek of Johns Creek
- Ronald Loehrke of Cumming
- Benjamin Henry Torre of Dawsonville
- Blas Santillan of Clayton
- Matthew Webler of Decatur
- Bruno Joseph Cua of Milton
- Brian Ulrich of Guyton
- Joseph Daniel Hutchinson III of Albany
- Mandy Robinson-Hand of Butler
- Charles Hand III of Butler
- Jack Wade Whitton of Locust Grove
- William Mccall Calhoun Jr. of Macon
- Nolan Harold Kidd of Macon
- Savannah Danielle McDonald of Macon
- Dominic Box of Savannah
- Michael Shane Daughtry of Middle District
- Joseph Lino Padilla (aka, Jose Padilla)
- Verden Andrew Nalley
Here is the full list of individuals with federal charges in ‘Capitol Breach Cases’ where further details may be found.
