Forestburg, TX — On Wednesday, April 21, a Texas couple was arrested for assaulting two Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers, as well as other crimes, during the U.S. Capitol breach on Jan. 6 that disrupted a Joint Session of the U.S. Congress in the process of affirming Presidential election results.
Mark Middleton, 52, of Forestburg, Texas, and Jalise Middleton, 51, also of Forestburg, Texas were arrested Wednesday morning and made their initial appearance in court on Thursday, April 22, in the Eastern District of Texas. Both are charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees; obstruction of Congress as well as law enforcement during civil disorder; knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct, as well as engaging in physical violence, in a restricted building or grounds; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
According to court documents and Body Worn Camera (BWC) footage reviewed by the FBI, Mark Middleton can be heard yelling “f*** you!” as he continued pushing against a barricade as officers repeatedly ordered him and others to get back. The BWC footage also depicts the Middleton’s grappling with and striking two MPD officers, “T.T.” and “R.C.” who were attempting to hold a barricade along with the other MPD colleagues, as various flags are jabbed toward the officers’ faces.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, as well as the MPD, with significant assistance provided by the FBI’s Dallas Field Office.