Fort Worth man pleads guilty to assaulting officers in Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot
A North Texas man pleaded guilty Wednesday to assaulting officers with a weapon during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Thomas John Ballard, 36, of Fort Worth, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon, which is a felony offense.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon scheduled a sentencing hearing for Nov. 1.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Ballard was in a crowd of protesters at the lower west terrace of the U.S. Capitol building.
Court documents say that Ballard used a police baton to repeatedly hit police officers and pushed a piece of metal scaffolding at the legs of officers. The documents also say that Ballard threw multiple objects at law enforcement, including a tabletop, a bottle of unknown liquid, a pole, pieces of a wooden plank, and two other unknown objects.
He was arrested on Aug. 10, 2021, in Fort Worth.
At his sentencing, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, as well as potential financial penalties.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and FBI’s Dallas Field Office.
In the 30 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,069 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the Capitol riot, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
This investigation remains ongoing.
