Federal officials arrested Jonathan Joseph Copeland, 28, of Shawnee Township, claiming he is this man shown as part of the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Justice
TOLEDO — Federal officials arrested a Shawnee Township man Thursday for allegedly shoving a large framed metal “Trump” sign into officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Jonathan Joseph Copeland, 28, of Shawnee Township, faces charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement with a dangerous weapon and interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, both of which are federal felony charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Ohio. He also faces five related misdemeanor charges.
“Copeland was among rioters who illegally entered the Capitol grounds, advancing past barricades,” according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “He failed to stay back despite commands from law enforcement officers. He moved to an area near the scaffolding and joined other rioters in pushing a large, metal sign into a line of law enforcement officers. He shoved the sign into officers attempting to secure the area. He then walked into the Senate Doors and moved through areas including the Crypt and Capitol Visitor Center.”
Copeland made his first court appearance Thursday afternoon at U.S. District Court in Toledo before Magistrate Judge Darrell Clay. He was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond, with conditions including he can’t possess firearms or other deadly weapons. Future cases will be heard in District of Columbia federal courtrooms, including a 1 p.m. Sept. 1 hearing.
Copeland’s criminal record in Allen County is relatively minor, including eight driving-related charges, including one driving under suspension case and four seat-belt violations.
A statement of facts in the case includes details obtained by the FBI during two interviews with Copeland conducted in February 2021. Both interviews featured similar accounts of Copeland’s actions at the Capitol, the statement said.
According to the FBI, Copeland had travelled to Washington, D.C. with an individual he had met online. After walking early that morning to the area where the election protest rally was set to take place, he and his traveling companion had watched a portion of the speech at the rally before leaving and moving toward the Capitol building.
“They reached the first barricade, a bike rack style barrier manned with [five to seven] police officers,” the statement of facts reads. “Copeland made his way over to the scaffolding on the left side of the crowd
More than 860 people have been arrested in the 19 months since the insurrection at the Capitol, including more than 260 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the Justice Department. Fifty-two are from Ohio, including Donald Chilcoat and Shawndale Chilcoat, of Celina, who were arrested earlier this month.
Crowds had gathered that day following former President Donald Trump’s loss in the presidential election, and the breach delayed the certification of the election.
Copeland was identified as being at the site by two witnesses, one who saw him on footage by CBS News and another who identified him through the FBI’s website. In a February interview with an FBI agent, Copeland acknowledged entering into the U.S. Capitol Building but later turned around.
“Copeland told FBI Agents that he felt remorseful, upon leaving the U.S. Capitol, so he deleted his accounts and disposed of his cellphone,” according to a statement of facts in the case.
