WASHINGTON – A California man pleaded guilty today to a felony charge of destruction of government property for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
According to court documents, Hunter Ehmke, 21, of Glendora, California, was part of a large crowd gathered about 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 6 outside the Rotunda Door on the East Side of the Capitol building. He jumped up onto a ledge of a window that has multiple panes and leads to an office inside. Ehmke, using his right foot, kicked in the three lower panes of the window, shattering them. Then, using his right fist, he smashed two additional windowpanes. According to the Architect of the Capitol, the damage to the five broken windowpanes totaled $2,821.
Ehmke was arrested in California on Jan. 13, 2021. He pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and is to be sentenced on May 11, 2022.
This 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 Central District of California.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and the U.S. Capitol Police. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
In the one year since Jan. 6, more than 725 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 225 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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