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Judge agrees to free QAnon believer charged in Capitol riot (Douglas Jensen)
Source: Associated Press
Judge agrees to free QAnon believer charged in Capitol riot
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
July 13, 2021
A federal judge agreed on Tuesday to free an Iowa man from jail more than six months after his videotaped confrontation of a police officer inside the U.S. Capitol became one of the most menacing images of the Jan. 6 riots.
Douglas Jensen, 41, was wearing a T-shirt bearing the letter “Q,” a symbol of the QAnon conspiracy theory, when he joined the mob that approached Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman inside the building and followed the officer up two flights of stairs.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said deciding whether to free Jensen from jail pending trial was a “close case,” but he ultimately agreed to release the Des Moines resident on house arrest with electronic location monitoring. The judge also barred him from accessing the internet on any electronic devices.
The judge said Jensen’s actions during his confrontation of Goodman were “deeply concerning and quite serious.” But he noted that Jensen is not accused of toppling any barricades, damaging any property or fighting with anybody at the Capitol.
“That said, he clearly disobeyed Officer Goodman and other officers, and he did position himself near the front of a mob as he ran up the stairs toward Officer Goodman,” the judge said. ”That may be some leadership, but only in the narrowest sense.”
-snip-
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
July 13, 2021
A federal judge agreed on Tuesday to free an Iowa man from jail more than six months after his videotaped confrontation of a police officer inside the U.S. Capitol became one of the most menacing images of the Jan. 6 riots.
Douglas Jensen, 41, was wearing a T-shirt bearing the letter “Q,” a symbol of the QAnon conspiracy theory, when he joined the mob that approached Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman inside the building and followed the officer up two flights of stairs.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said deciding whether to free Jensen from jail pending trial was a “close case,” but he ultimately agreed to release the Des Moines resident on house arrest with electronic location monitoring. The judge also barred him from accessing the internet on any electronic devices.
The judge said Jensen’s actions during his confrontation of Goodman were “deeply concerning and quite serious.” But he noted that Jensen is not accused of toppling any barricades, damaging any property or fighting with anybody at the Capitol.
“That said, he clearly disobeyed Officer Goodman and other officers, and he did position himself near the front of a mob as he ran up the stairs toward Officer Goodman,” the judge said. ”That may be some leadership, but only in the narrowest sense.”
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-482d84c74263ba66a6a5c533011ebdde
FILE - This photo provided by Polk County, Iowa Jail shows Douglas Jensen. A federal judge agreed on Tuesday, July 13, to free Jensen from jail more than six months after his videotaped confrontation of a police officer inside the U.S. Capitol became one of the most menacing images of the Jan. 6 riots. Jensen, 41, was wearing a T-shirt bearing the letter “Q,” a symbol of the QAnon conspiracy theory, when he joined the mob that approached Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman inside the building and followed the officer up two flights of stairs. (Polk County Jail via AP File)
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