Asheville, Brevard men charged 2 years after January 6 Capitol attack; shown with Fanone

Joel Burgess, Asheville Citizen Times
Updated ·2 min read
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A man identified as Nathan Baer of Starnes Cove near Asheville is shown in this Department of Justice provided by Reuters photo from Jan. 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol. To his left is ex-District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who testified before the Jan. 6 House committee.
A man identified as Nathan Baer of Starnes Cove near Asheville is shown in this Department of Justice provided by Reuters photo from Jan. 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol. To his left is ex-District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who testified before the Jan. 6 House committee.
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More than two years after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, two Western North Carolina men have been charged with breaching the nation's legislative complex.

One of them was found through pictures including a widely publicized photo showing him in a crowd struggling with a police officer who later testified before the Jan. 6 House committee, Michael Fanone.

The actions of Nathan Baer, 43, a resident of Starnes Cove just west of Asheville, and Alan St. Onge, 35, of Brevard disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election, according to a June 26 statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Baer is charged with the felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and misdemeanor offenses of entering or remaining on restricted grounds without lawful authority to do so, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, one of the statements said.

St. Onge is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with civil disorder, a felony, and the following misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings. He was arrested June 26 in North Carolina and made his initial appearance in the Western District of North Carolina.

Both men participated in struggles at tunnels leading to the Capitol building. No indication was given that they knew each other.

More: WNC Jan. 6 rioter gets one of harshest sentences in US Capitol attack convictions

More: Madison Cawthorn's former lawyer who defended him against insurrection charges drops suit

This story will be updated.

This story will be updated. Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville, Brevard men charged 2 years after January 6 Capitol attack