WASHINGTON: A federal judge has ordered a pretrial detention from a former police officer from Virginia who was accused of ordering weapons after he was charged with participating in the January 6 riots in the US Capitol.
US District Judge Christopher Cooper agreed on Wednesday to keep Thomas Robertson imprisoned, ruling the former Rocky Mount police officer violating his pretrial release requirements by having firearms.
The judge rejected Robertson’s advice that 34 weapons he ordered before June 29, when the FBI agent was looking for his house, was just a collection of World War II.
The government’s inventory of weapons shows that many of them are vintage military style assault weapons recently, including three M4 rifles, said Cooper.
A gun at Roanoke, Virginia, told the FBI that Robertson had 34 weapons waiting for him to take and that he recently visited the store to handle it.
“Here, a reasonable person can draw conclusions that Robertson acts with a guilty awareness in ordering firearms and ammunition for sending to weapons dealers.
It seems Robertson might have attached a label ‘wedding’ for the actual Venmo transaction for ammunition, suggesting efforts to Avoid detection, “Judge wrote.
The city of Rocky Mount fired Robertson and the second officer, Jacob Fracker, was accused of invading the Capitol.
Robertson begged innocent on charges of blocking the official process.
Robertson was released after his initial arrest but was arrested again on July 7 after the prosecutor urged the judge to revoke the release of his preter.
The judge noted that Robertson was not accused of violence at the age of January 6 but said that “strong evidence” showed that he participated in RIOT Capitol.
” Since the incident, both before and after his indictment, Robertson has done it declares pride in his role and enthusiasm for the prospect of political violence in the future, ” Cooper writes.