March 9 (UPI) — A federal judge ruled Monday that the self-described “QAnon Shaman” must remain in jail pending further proceedings regarding charges related to his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that Jacob Chansley may still present a threat to members of the general public and that no conditions could be placed on him to ensure he would appear before the court in the future.
In his opinion, Lamberth stated that Chansley exhibited “a detachment from reality” and “does not understand the severity of the allegations against him.”
“At hearing and in his briefs, [Chansley] characterizes himself as a peaceful person who was welcomed into the Capitol building on Jan. 6 by police officers,” Lamberth wrote. “The court finds none of his many attempts to manipulate the evidence and minimize the seriousness of his actions persuasive.”
Chansley was seen wearing horns, a coyote tail headdress and face paint at the Capitol during the insurrection and has pleaded not guilty to charges of civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Chansley is not charged with attacking anyone during the riot but federal prosecutors have described him as a leader within the QAnon movement, an Internet conspiracy that casts former president Donald Trump as the man who will bring world elites maintaining a Satanic child-murdering sex cult to justice.
Lamberth also ruled that Chansley wielded a dangerous weapon resembling a spear during the riot, although his attorneys had argued it was a flagpole.
“A six-foot pole with a metal spearhead fixed to the top is, undoubtably, a dangerous weapon,” he said.
