A Washington state father and son-in-law were arrested Wednesday in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
WASHINGTON, USA — The director of the Orting School Board and his son-in-law were arrested Wednesday on felony and misdemeanor charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Richard Slaughter, 40, has been charged with attacking, resisting, or obstructing law enforcement officers with a lethal or dangerous weapon, obstructing law enforcement officers during civil unrest, and other felonies and misdemeanors. was indicted for
Slaughter is the District 1 Director of the Orting School District (OSD).
In a statement to KING 5 Thursday morning, an OSD spokesperson said, “Currently, Rick Slaughter is still an active member of the Orting School District Board of Directors. We have no comment on this matter at this time.”
Caden Paul Gottfried, 20, has been charged with assaulting, resisting, or obstructing a law enforcement officer, interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, and misdemeanor crime.
On Wednesday, the two were arrested in Tacoma and made their first court appearance. Slaughter and Gottfried were released pending further court hearings.
Slaughter and Gottfried refused to wear masks on a flight from Washington, DC to Seattle on January 7, 2021, protesting the consequences, according to an affidavit filed by a Tacoma-based FBI agent. It first came to the attention of authorities when it disrupted presidential election.
In an interview with an agent, Slaughter admitted they were participating in the rioting but denied seeing the crime committed, saying, “Conservatives don’t protest, they have a job.” said.
In April, a source identified Slaughter in footage of the riot and provided a link to view his photo from his wife’s Facebook page.
According to court documents, both Slaughter and Gottfried illegally entered the grounds of the Capitol and joined other mobs on the Lower West Terrace.
Slaughter allegedly grabbed a police shield from another mob and held it away from the officer. He was also seen using a “long stick” to attack a police officer at the front line in the tunnel area leading to the Capitol and handing chemical spray to another mob in the crowd, according to court documents. was seen.
Investigators said Gottfried was in the same tunnel area and was trying to use his weight to defy a line of police officers. He was eventually pulled into a tunnel and detained by officers before being released.
In last year’s campaign materials, Slaughter described himself as a mortgage officer and said he and his wife run a teen center. He opposed requiring children to wear masks at school as a means of containing the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 880 people have been arrested in the 21 months since the 6 January attacks. About 400 pleaded guilty. More than 270 people have been charged with assaulting or obstructing law enforcement.
Sentences for rioters range from probation for minor misdemeanors to 10 years in prison for a man who assaulted a police officer with a metal flagpole.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
