Ohio man facing felony charge in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A southwestern Ohio man was arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges in connection with the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, 46-year-old David Valentine, of Wilmington, Ohio in Clinton County, was arrested in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Aug. 22. Valentine made his initial court appearance in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Valentine faces a felony charge of civil disorder, along with misdemeanor charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority, knowingly and with the intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of government business, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds.

According to the case's criminal complaint, Valentine was identified in several areas in and around the U.S. Capitol building between 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. that day.

The court document stated that at around 1:30 p.m., Valentine was seen near a line of police officers and a barricade next to a bike rack, which was preventing rioters from advancing towards the Capitol building. About 10 minutes later, rioters carried and passes a large metal-framed “Trump 2020” sign towards the line.

It is alleged that when the sign reached the barricade and police line, Valentine joined rioters in pushing the sign, which was being used as a battering ram against the officers.

Later, Valentine was identified on the West Plaza of the Capitol grounds and was seen entering a lower part of the Inaugural stage within the plaza. Valentine reportedly climbed into an area that appeared to be under construction and cut some wires with a folding knife.

At around 2:30 p.m. Metropolitan Police Officers retreated to an area inside the archway of the Capitol building at the Lower West Terrace Doors, referred to as “The Tunnel”. There, rioters gathered in front of the officers and began pushing in a collective effort to gain access to the doorway entrance, documents stated.

Nearly two-and-a-half hours later, rioters continued to push against the officers in the tunnel, with Valentine allegedly joining the group. He was reportedly seen placing his hand on the back of rioters before being repelled by a chemical irritant.

Evidence connecting Valentine to images captured at the Capitol include a Facebook photo of Valentine, which shows him wearing identical clothing to those he wore on Jan. 6. Also, evidence of a phone number that was identified as being in the geographical area of the Capitol building matches a number that is registered to Valentine. And lastly, Valentine, associated with an account known as “Freedom Express Media”, posted an admission using the moniker “yellow sizzler” as being present at the Capitol breach.

During an FBI interview conducted on Jan. 13, 2023, Valentine admitted to being present during the riot, claiming that he stood outside the building and seeing others fighting with police officers. He then described the clothes he wore, which included a brown jacket over a yellow hooded sweatshirt and a red toboggan-style hat.

In the 43 months since, more than 1,488 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 550 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.