ATHENS, Ga. — Jake Maxwell, 22 of Athens, was convicted for charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
Court records show the space he was in at the Capitol where Vice President Mike Pence was expected to be to certify the results of the 2020 election
As previously reported, Maxwell was accused of physically accosting officers at the West Plaza, according to prosecutors, during the attack.
He was arrested Feb. 10, 2022, on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, civil disorder, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds and related offenses.
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Prosecutors said Maxwell engaged in a physical confrontation with law enforcement officers, citing court documents.
“He banged his hands and pushed on the riot shield of a U.S. Capitol Police officer as the officer tried to push him away with the shield,” prosecutors said in 2022. “He then moved towards an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department and got into a physical struggle with him. During that struggle, Maxwell first hooked his arm around the officer’s baton. The officer then got his baton away from Maxwell and used it to keep Maxwell away from the line of law enforcement trying to protect the Capitol building from the crowd of rioters. Maxwell, however, grabbed the officer’s baton with his left hand and pulled on it during the struggle.”
Charging documents showed that Maxwell voluntarily went to the FBI in Atlanta in December 2021 for an interview. During that interview, Channel 2 Action News reported he identified himself in the photos showing the incident, but documents state “he said he did not remember doing those things,” but did confirm that he was the one shown in the pictures.
New court documents show Maxwell was found guilty on three counts during a bench trial on Tuesday, though he was found not guilty on four others.
Maxwell was convicted during the bench trial of obstructing, impeding or interfering with a law enforcement officer lawfully performing their duties, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disruptive conduct in a restricted building.
The court documents show Maxwell was accused of being in a space where Vice President Mike Pence would be for official proceedings. That is what the restricted building charges stem from, according to court documents.
However, Maxwell was found not guilty of charges related to attacking law enforcement officers, according to the documents.
He’ll be back in court on Feb. 22, 2024, for sentencing, according to court records.
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