Meadville man arrested for alleged role in Jan. 6 breach of U.S. Capitol

Mike Crowley, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·4 min read
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Oct. 3—A Meadville man nicknamed "JackTheTripper" by online sleuths who pored over video footage of the Jan. 6, 2021, breach at the U.S. Capitol was arrested by federal authorities Friday.

Mikhail Edward Slye, 32, is accused of throwing a bike rack-type barrier to intentionally trip a Capitol police officer as the officer and his team were attempting to rescue two officers caught in the crowd just outside the Capitol, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Slye faces two felony charges, one for allegedly assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers and another for allegedly interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder. After being arrested in Meadville, he made his first court appearance via videoconference from U.S. District Court in Erie.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia that announced the arrest stated that when the officer was tripped in the Upper West Terrace area of the Capitol, he fell down a flight of stairs as a result and sustained injuries as a result. He then regained his footing and continued his efforts to locate the two officers stranded among the rioters, according to the criminal complaint.

Slye also faces six misdemeanor charges. In addition to throwing the bike rack, the criminal complaint alleges that he illegally entered the Capitol twice — once, at 2:56 p.m., remaining for three minutes, and again at 3:05, exiting at 3:35. While in the Capitol, he moved throughout the Crypt area and other locations, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

The misdemeanor charges consist of one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds, physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

The 17-page criminal complaint includes 17 screenshots and digital images from videos livestreamed on Jan. 6, 2021, and posted to the internet afterward. It also refers specifically to seditionhunters.org, a website that describes itself as "a global community of open-source intelligence investigators (OSINT) working together to assist the U.S. FBI and Washington D.C. Capitol Police in finding people who allegedly committed crimes in the January 6 capitol riots."

A seditionhunters.org social media post from June 18, 2021, included several screenshots of the man believed to have thrown the barricade that caused the officer to fall.

"They dubbed the unknown subject 'JackTheTripper,'" the criminal complaint filed by the FBI stated. "As a result of the online post to social media platforms, the unknown subject was ultimately identified as Slye."

In addition to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, the case against Slye is being prosecuted by the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania also assisted, according to the press release.

The case is being investigated by the FBI's Pittsburgh Field Office and its Erie Resident Agency, and the FBI's Washington Field Office, with assistance from U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

More than 870 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 265 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

Slye is the second Crawford County resident to be charged in connection with the incidents of Jan. 6, 2021.

Jeremy Vorous, 44, of Venango was indicted in March 2021 for his alleged actions at the Capitol. He faces a felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding; two misdemeanor counts of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; and two misdemeanor counts of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

A status conference scheduled for Oct. 27 in the case against Vorous is expected to reveal whether a plea deal will be accepted.

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.