WASHINGTON — An Ohio pastor who wore his firm jacket as he pushed towards a police line on Jan. 6 was arrested by the FBI on Wednesday and charged with felony and misdemeanor fees, the Justice Division stated.
William Dunfee, a 57-year-old church pastor, is the person seen on video filmed by one other Jan. 6 rioter telling officers that the mob was going to take over the Capitol steps; he was beforehand recognized by on-line sleuths previous to his arrest this week. Dunfee additionally instructed different rioters that they have been “taking our home,” in line with a FBI affidavit.
“This election has been stolen proper out from beneath of our noses and it’s time for the American individuals to stand up. Stand up. Stand up. As we speak is the day during which it’s that these elected officers notice that we’re now not taking part in video games,” Dunfee stated to different rioters, in line with the affidavit and video. “We are going to arise for our nation. We’re standing up for our freedoms. We’re standing up for our president. And right this moment is the day these elected officers, these senators and these congressmen, perceive that we aren’t going to permit this to proceed any longer.”
Dunfee additionally stated that elected officers “must concern us” earlier than he stated rioters have been “going to our home.”
“Mister law enforcement officials, we wish you to grasp one thing. We would like you to grasp one thing. We would like Donald Trump and if Donald Trump shouldn’t be coming, we’re taking our home. We’re taking our home,” Dunfee stated.
Dunfee and others then pushed the steel barricade into law enforcement officials and broke via, video reveals and the FBI affidavit says. Dunfee then proceeded with the mob to the japanese steps of the U.S. Capitol. He’s not charged with coming into the constructing.
“Hallelujah,” Dunfee stated when one other rioter introduced they’d stopped Congress’ certification of the election, later telling a crowd “Mission completed.”
Dunfee was straightforward to establish due to his firm jacket. NBC Information ran a seek for the corporate after seeing the video this summer time and shortly recognized him as a enterprise associate at Cross Builders LLC in Ohio. The FBI acquired quite a few recommendations on Dunfee, together with screenshots of feedback from members of his church.
The FBI pointed to video on the Fb web page of New Beginnings Ministries Warsaw, the place Dunfee is a pastor, during which he talked about his plans earlier than the Jan. 6 assault. “It’s not over. November the 4th via the sixth, we’re heading to D.C. Who’s going with us?” Dunfee says within the video. In one other video after the Jan. 6 assault, Dunfee complained about how rioters have been being portrayed.
“We present up January sixth on the Capitol Constructing proper? To let it’s recognized that we aren’t going to face again and let an election be stolen. That we’re going to maintain our legislators accountable, and so forth and so forth? And what did that get us? Huh? We’re all deemed what? Huh? Bunch of terrorists, proper?” Dunfee stated within the video.
“I can let you know, having been there [at the U.S. Capitol], that we have been surrounded by patriots. Many, many, many, many patriots. And I thank God they confirmed as much as simply to let it’s recognized, that you understand, what the underside line is that this, that you’re not stealing this election. You’re not going to rob us, deprive us of a democracy, of a republic, with out us being heard.”
Dunfee now faces felony fees of interfering with a regulation enforcement officer throughout a civil dysfunction in addition to obstruction of an official continuing.
