JACKSONVILLE, Fla — A St. Augustine man accused of storming the U.S. Capitol last month has been released on bond following a court hearing Friday afternoon.
John Anderson, age 61, had his first appearance in federal court in Jacksonville Thursday. He was arrested and charged with unlawful entry Jan. 6, according to U.S. Capitol Police.
In court on Friday, the judge set Anderson's bond for $25,000. Anderson was only required to pay $2,500, which is 10% of $25,000.
Prosecutor Frank Talbot told the judge Thursday that Anderson pushed up against officers in a large group outside an entryway at the U.S. Capitol as rioters tried to halt the Electoral College count to finalize Joe Biden's win of the 2020 presidential election. Talbot said "chaotic" bodycam footage showed Anderson with one of the officer's plexiglass shields, refusing to return it to the officer when ordered to do so.
Judge Monte Richardson, after learning the details of the case initially said he was "not comfortable for release," and scheduled Friday's detention hearing.
Anderson faces up to eight and a half years in prison and $555,000 in fines if convicted on five counts, including obstructing or impeding law enforcement and theft of government property during the insurrection.
First Coast News is still waiting on the arrest documents from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, which the prosecutor says includes a more detailed account of the event, as well as photographs of Anderson at the Capitol.
Anderson is one of several local defendants accused in the Capitol Riot. Last month, First Coast News' Troy Kless chased after a Middleburg man and woman as they sprinted away from the federal courthouse in Downtown Jacksonville to avoid questions from reporters after being charged in the insurrection.
Dana Joe Winn, 45, and his 40-year-old girlfriend Rachael Lynn Pert, turned themselves in to the FBI and had their first hearing Jan. 26. They refused to answer reporters' questions about their actions.
Anderson's next court hearing is scheduled for March 4 at 1 p.m.
For more information including case-related court documents and future case proceedings, click here.