Federal officials charge Lansing man in Jan. 6 siege at US Capitol

A Michigan man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the siege of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, federal officials announced.

Logan James Barnhart, 40, of Lansing has been charged with offenses including civil disorder; assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon/aiding and abetting; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.

He was listed in a superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday that added charges for three of five previously indicted defendants, according to the release.

A 27-year-old Tennessee man, Ronald Colton McAbee, also was arrested Tuesday in connection with the case, investigators said.

Barnhart had been among hundreds of people the FBI sought to identify as having unlawfully entered the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., in a bid to disrupt a joint session of Congress working to certify Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.

According to the indictment, he and three others used a baton, flag pole and crutch to "forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, and interfere with ... an officer from the Metropolitan Police Department."

Federal authorities also charged Barnhart with joining others to enter restricted areas in the U.S. Capitol where the vice president and vice president-elect were visiting, the filing stated.

Barnhart made his initial court appearance Tuesday at the Western District of Michigan federal court in Grand Rapids. He was released on a $5,000 bond, records show.

His court-appointed attorney, James Fisher, declined to comment on the case Tuesday night.

Lansing House Democratic Leader Donna Lasinski, D-Lansing, pointed to 12 Michigan residents facing charges in the insurrection.

“It should be clear by now that some in our state played a key role leading up to and during this attack on our democracy," Lasinski said. "That’s why I have called for a formal investigation into Michigan’s role in the insurrection. We need to know how deep these ties go to ensure a complete accounting of the events of Jan. 6 to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

A Facebook page listed as belonging to Barnhart described him as a "national physique competitor, personal trainer and online coach."

A private Instagram page also listed as associated with Barnhart said he was a pipe layer and heavy-machine operator.

Barnhart was a former star football player at Haslett High School, The Detroit News reported in 1999. That year, at age 18, he was sentenced in connection with a riot on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing.

Barnhart, who had helped tip over a car, was sentenced to 45 days in jail for unlawful assembly for a riot, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. 

He also faced two years' probation and was ordered to pay $5,500 in restitution as well as other fees and complete 100 hours of community service, according to News archives.

So far, 12 people with Michigan ties have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Two of the most recent were men from Metro Detroit.

Trevor Brown of Novi was captured on video shouting into a bullhorn as rioters entered the Capitol tunnel and assaulted police officers, according to an affidavit filed in federal court.

Steven Thurlow, a gunsmith from St. Clair Shores, was accused of breaking in, climbing on a conference table and joining rioters during the siege.

More than 570 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach, including over 170 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, federal officials said Tuesday.