Ringgold man arrested for January 6 Capitol breach

William Beals II. Courtesy: Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office

RINGGOLD, Ga. (WDEF) — Federal agents have arrested a Georgia man for his actions related to the U.S. Capitol incident on January 6, 2021.

They arrested William Frederick Beals, II. He is a 52-year-old resident of Ringgold, Georgia.

“His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election,” the FBI said.

Courtesy: FBI

Beals faces the following federal charges:

• Knowingly making false statements within the jurisdiction of the branches of government (felony).
• Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.
• Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
• Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds, parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
• Theft of government property.

Federal authorities arrested Beals on August 24, 2023, in Adairsville, Georgia. He made is initial appearance in the Eastern District of Tennessee, which is Hamilton County.

Courtesy: FBI

At the time of the January 6 incident, Beals lived in Tennessee. The FBI says that Beals traveled from his home “to attend a rally and protest the certification of the Electoral College for the 2020 Presidential elections.”

Here is the series of events as told by the FBI:

“On January 6, Beals made his way to the Lower West Plaza of the U.S. Capitol building and traveled to the West Plaza Barricade area, where he confronted members of law enforcement, including members of the United States Capitol Police (USCP). Here, Beals attempted to thwart enforcement of a barricade, which USCP used in an effort to hold back the crowd.

At approximately 1:30 p.m., the crowd began to physically overtake the police line positioned outside the scaffolding and on the Northwest steps, giving the rioters access to the Capitol’s Upper West Terrace. Beals then climbed the scaffolding and made his way closer to the entrance of the Capitol. At about 2:13 p.m., the first rioters entered the building. Only a few minutes later, Beals is seen on CCTV making entry via the Senate Parliamentarian Doors. According to CCTV, Beals left the Capitol building at approximately 2:20 p.m.

Law enforcement authorities later secured the Senate Wing doors; however, at approximately 2:45 p.m., a second rush of rioters breached the Capitol in the same area. Beals donned a gas mask and re-entered the Capitol a second time via the Senate Wing door. During his second entrance into the Capitol, Beals was inside for approximately five minutes before exiting again.

Court documents say that Beals took at least one cellphone video after exiting the Capitol building but while still in the restricted area. After exiting the building, Beals recorded himself announcing on TikTok, “So we officially took the White House.” At some point that afternoon, Beals posed for photographs with USCP property. While still on the restricted grounds, Beals sat atop a USCP motorcycle on the Northwest Courtyard. He also took photos in two different areas outside the restricted grounds while posing with a USCP shield.”

In October 2021, the FBI said they spoke with Beals for a second time regarding this incident. He denied that he ever entered the U.S. Capitol building to federal agents.

Courtesy: FBI

After being shown photos of himself at the Capitol, Beals claimed the images were fake or doctored. However, the agents made note of the similarities of his tattoos with the tattoos in the images. Yet Beals continued to deny his actions.

FBI’s Knoxville and Washington Field Offices continue to investigate.

The FBI says more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested for crimes related to the January 6 Capitol breach.