Former fugitive Jonathan Pollock pleads not guilty at arraignment on Jan. 6 charges
Jonathan Pollock, the former Lakeland area resident who eluded arrest for 2½ years on charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, finally faced an arraignment Thursday before a judge in Washington, D.C.
Pollock attended a status hearing before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols along with his co-defendants, Olivia Pollock (his older sister) and Joseph Daniel Hutchinson III. All three remain in custody without bond while facing multiple felony charges for their alleged actions outside the U.S. Capitol during the riot.
Jonathan Pollock, 24, became a fugitive after FBI agents failed to find him while arresting Olivia at the family’s property in the Kathleen area on June 30, 2021, following his indictment by a grand jury. The same day, agents arrested Hutchinson, a family friend and former Lakeland area resident, in Georgia.
Olivia Pollock and Hutchinson, both free on conditional release, disabled their ankle GPS monitors in March 2023, days before the scheduled start of their trials in Washington, D.C. Nichols issued bench warrants for the pair, who were added to the FBI’s list of fugitives.
FBI agents captured and arrested the Pollocks and Hutchinson on Jan. 6, the third anniversary of the U.S. Capitol attack, at a ranch in Groveland in southern Lake County.
During Thursday’s court arraignment, Jonathan Pollock pleaded not guilty to all charges. He faces 17 counts on such charges as civil disorder; assaulting, resisting or impeding police officers using a dangerous weapon; theft of government property; entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; and an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
Olivia Pollock, 33, and Hutchinson, 27, face many of the same felony charges. They have pleaded not guilty. Jonathan and Olivia Pollock have court-appointed lawyers — Carmen Hernandez and Elita Amato, respectively. Joseph Hutchinson is representing himself.
Nichols ordered the trio’s next status conference for April 1.
On Feb. 13, Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui denied Olivia Pollock’s motion for pretrial release from custody.
The Pollocks and Hutchinson traveled to Washington D.C., along with at least two others from Polk County, to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally organized by former President Donald Trump and his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump repeated his false claims that widespread fraud had cost him the 2020 election, and he urged his supporters to march from the Ellipse to the U.S. Capitol and pressure members of Congress not to certify Joe Biden’s election as president.
Trump supporters fought through lines of police officers and broke into the Capitol, forcing members of Congress to flee their chambers and interrupting the ratification of the election results. About 140 police officers were injured in the attack, and the rioters caused more than $1.5 million in damage to the Capitol building, government reports indicate.
On third anniversary of Jan. 6 riot: Two from Polk went to prison, three remain fugitives
An arrest affidavit included photos and videos captured by police officers’ body-worn cameras showing a man prosecutors identified as Jonathan Pollock fighting with officers outside the Capitol. Prosecutors allege that Pollock, wearing camouflage attire and a ballistic plate-carrier vest, yanked a plastic riot shield away from an officer and then used it as a weapon to strike other officers.
At the Upper West Terrace, Pollock climbed a set of bleachers, grabbed an officer by the shoulders and tried to throw him over a metal railing, prosecutors allege. Neither the Pollocks nor Hutchinson is accused of entering the Capitol building, but prosecutors say that Jonathan Pollock reached the mouth of a tunnel at the entrance to the Capitol.
The FBI first issued a “wanted” poster for Jonathan Pollock in 2021 and offered a reward of up to $30,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction. A spokesperson for the FBI’s Tampa office said the agency would not disclose whether anyone is eligible for the reward following Pollock’s arrest.
The FBI also has not said whether any associates of the three might face charges for helping them elude authorities.
The Pollocks’ cousin, Joshua Doolin of Polk City, was convicted last year on multiple charges and is serving an 18-month prison sentence. Another member of the group, Michael Perkins of Plant City, was convicted on a range of charges and sentenced to four years in prison.
Three other current or former Polk County residents have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot. Corrine Montoni, formerly of Lakeland, served a 30-day prison sentence after pleading guilty to a charge of civil disorder. Prosecutors shared images of Montoni inside the Capitol building.
Brian Boele of Lakeland is awaiting trial on charges that include civil disorder, a felony, and three misdemeanors.
On Friday, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of Lakeland resident Thomas Paul Osborne, 40, on felony and misdemeanor charges.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Ex-fugitive Pollock pleads not guilty at arraignment on Jan. 6 charges
