FRISCO, Texas — A North Texas man has become one of the latest to face charges in connection to the deadly Jan. 6 riots that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol.
A May 13 federal criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for District of Columbia shows that Kerry Wayne Persick is facing charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; violent entry or disorderly conduct; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building.
It all comes after an FBI agent, based in the agency's Dallas division / Frisco Resident Agency, spoke to a "confidential witness," who submitted a tip online identifying Persick as being present at the Capitol on the day of the breach.
According to the criminal complaint, images from surveillance video captured the crowd of people inside the building. On the same day of the insurrection, the FBI said it received a tip that Persick - who was photographed wearing a red baseball cap with the “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” logo and sunglasses - was among that crowd.
Then, on Feb. 24, an FBI investigator with the Texas office reviewed video footage from inside the Capitol, which they said showed the person at the center of the photo tip - wearing the same dark-colored jacket, a backpack, and red baseball cap with “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” logo - inside the Capitol, wandering the restricted hallways of the building, the complaint says.
On March 2, the complaint says the FBI agent interviewed the confidential witness over the phone, who said that they were texted the photo and a video of Persick - though they wouldn't say who the texts were from.
In a follow-up in-person interview with the witness on March 24, the complaint says the witness told the FBI agent they and Persick had known each other for nearly two decades, but had only seen each other once recently, more than a year ago.
During that interview, the complaint says the witness was shown photos of the person, believed to be Persick, inside the Capitol; they later confirmed with the FBI that it was indeed Persick.
That confirmation from the witness - along with cellphone records that the FBI said pinpointed Persick's location to inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 - was enough probable cause, the FBI said, to believe he was present inside the building "during the riot and related offenses that occurred at the U.S. Capitol Building," the complaint states.
During the Jan. 6 attack, inflamed by former President Trump's false claims of a stolen election, a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win.
Five people died, including a U.S. Capitol police officer, and dozens of officers were injured trying to hold the crowd back.
Material from the Associated Press contributed to this report.