After tipsters recognize his photo, Athol man charged in breach at US Capitol; released on $10K bond

ATHOL — An Athol man was arrested by federal agents Friday after he was identified through photographs as one of the people who allegedly assaulted law enforcement officers during the breach at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Vincent J. Gillespie, 60, was taken into custody by the FBI with assistance from Athol police, authorities said. He was released on $10,000 unsecured bond following an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Worcester.

The FBI alleges Gillespie used a police shield to "ram" officers while screaming "traitor" and "treason" at them, and also grabbed an officer by the arm and tried to pull him into the crowd.

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Photographs included in court documents show a man prosecutors allege is Gillespie holding a shield and grabbing the arm of an officer. The FBI said there is body camera video that supports its allegations.

Gillespie was charged Friday with nine federal crimes, the most serious of which, assaulting, resisting or impeding police, carries a penalty of up to eight years in prison.

The government did not request he be held without bail, and he was released on conditions that include that he provide proof to the government by Wednesday that his three legal firearms have been removed from his home.

6 witnesses identify Gillespie

Friday's arrest, the FBI said, came after six witnesses — including a former neighbor, an employee of a local business and multiple Athol town employees — identified Gillespie in photographs the FBI put out out in September seeking suspects.

The FBI said investigators determined Gillespie's actions occurred for at least 14 minutes at the Lower West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol Building, starting at about 4:11 p.m. on Jan. 6.

The man can be seen wearing a sweatshirt with the "Berkshire Nautilus" — a logo of a Pittsfield health club — in the video footage, the FBI noted.

Other charges Gillespie faces include civil disorder, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building and perpetrating an act of physical violence in the Capitol.

At his court appearance in Worcester on Friday afternoon, Gillespie listened intently as U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy detailed the forthcoming legal process.

Gillespie asked several follow-up questions of the judge, apologizing at one point and explaining that his head was "spinning." He agreed to hold the hearing virtually because of COVID-19 concerns, a typical practice nowadays that requires the defendant's consent.

'They’ve taken my laptop'

Appearing via Zoom from a courthouse holding area, a yellow surgical mask hugging his chin, Gillespie was indecisive about whether he would like to proceed in Worcester or go to Washington, D.C., for the next step of the legal process.

Informed that he could attend upcoming hearings via Zoom, he remarked he would need to procure a new computer, saying, "They’ve taken my laptop."

Defense lawyer Timothy G. Watkins, who was appointed for the purposes of Friday's hearing, told Hennessy it appears Gillespie did not qualify for a court-appointed lawyer — a consideration that is based on income.

At one point during the hearing, Hennessy ordered Gillespie to provide the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services office information about his roommate after an officer said Gillespie had been reluctant to do so.

Gillespie and Watkins, who spoke at length in a conference room following the court appearance, declined to comment to reporters outside the courthouse Friday evening.

Driven away by anonymous man

Gillespie walked to a car driven by a man who declined to provide his name, and who questioned the news value of the story.

The man, during a brief, amicable conversation, opined a reporter would do better to travel to Canada to cover what he alleged to be abuses of civil rights regarding vaccine requirements for truckers.

Other more worthy topics, he posited, were Antifa, Black Lives Matter (which he suggested had commercial interests) and alleged First Amendment abuses by Twitter for banning former President Donald Trump from its platform.

Gillespie is due to appear via Zoom Feb. 28 in U.S. District Court in Worcester for a procedural hearing called a preliminary examination. He is also scheduled to make an initial appearance via Zoom Feb. 24 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

Gillespie's case will ultimately be prosecuted in the nation's capital, where federal authorities have charged more than 750 people with crimes related to the Jan. 6 breach.

Other terms of Gillespie's release include that he have no contact with any potential witnesses and stay away from Washington, D.C., unless his travel is related to his case.

He was also ordered to inform pretrial services if he intends to travel outside the state. He does not have a passport, the judge said, and was ordered not to acquire one.

It was not clear from Friday's hearing whether Gillespie has any prior criminal record. Watkins told Hennessy the man did not have experience in the federal courts system.

The Athol Daily News in June 2021 posted a photograph of Gillespie attending a town meeting to raise concerns about potential meter maids in town.

Telegram & Gazette staff reporter Craig S. Semon contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: After tipsters recognize photo, Athol man charged in breach at Capitol