Two Grove City men facing federal charges in Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at U.S. Capitol
Two Grove City men whom federal authorities arrested and accused of taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol have been released from federal custody and are set to appear in federal court in September in Washington.
Dustin Martin, 29, and Cody Lee Tippett, 32, were arrested in Grove City and Columbus, respectively, last month on charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building that disturbed the orderly conduct of a session of Congress to certify the presidential election and demonstrating or picketing inside the U.S. Capitol.
According to complaints filed in June in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, concerned citizens contacted the FBI beginning the day after the insurrection about Martin's presence at the Capitol. One of the confidential informants tipped off the FBI on Jan. 17, 2021, to Facebook posts Martin allegedly made, one of which stated, “So now I can say I’ve been hit with rubber bullets, bear mace, pepper spray, tear gas, and wrestle with Capital Police (sic) … I’ll do it all over again too!”
The confidential informant said that Martin was from Grove City and had posted a video of himself inside the U.S. Capitol but later deleted it.
When the FBI interviewed Martin in July 2021, court documents claim Martin admitted to making the Facebook posts but denied being inside the Capitol or attacking anyone. He said he was inadvertently caught up among insurrectionists.
But the complaint alleges that Martin messaged a Facebook friend on Jan. 6, 2021, stating, "We stormed the capital broke the lines" and "We made it." It claims he also sent the friend the photo that he posted to his Facebook profile, saying he was hit with mace and wrestled with Capitol police.
Using facial recognition, authorities uncovered a photograph of Martin being hit in the face with pepper spray, court records state. He shortly afterwards sent a message telling a friend that, “...I thought I was going to go blind," the records state.
According to court documents, the FBI was looking up Martin’s Grove City property to see who else may reside there when Tippett’s name came up in search records. Tippett’s face matched images of a man on social media who is seen repeatedly accompanying Martin at the U.S. Capitol.
Tippett’s former federal probation officer from his prior conviction in U.S. District Court in Columbus for involvement in an OxyContin drug ring identified Tippett from the images investigators compiled, according to court documents.
The FBI investigation determined the two men drove to Washington to attend the Trump rally and then were among those in the ensuing assault on the Capitol.
As of July 5, the U.S. Department of Justice reports more than 1,069 people were charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol — including more than 55 Ohioans.
Some 594 people pleaded guilty to various federal charges, and 98 others were found guilty at trial. About 335 of 561 people sentenced received prison time ranging from five days to more than 14 years.
narciso@dispatch.com
@DeanNarciso
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Two Grove City men face federal charges in Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack
