A Laurel man, who federal officials said was seen in photographs carrying a Confederate flag inside the U.S. Capitol, has been arrested in connection with last week's insurrection.
Kevin Seefried and his son, Hunter Seefried were arrested by federal agents Wednesday.
They face charges of disorderly conduct, knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without the lawful authority to do so with intent to impede or obstruct the orderly conduct of government business as well as a count of government destruction of property.
Both Kevin and Hunter Seefriend made initial, separate court appearances Thursday, January 14, 2021, in U.S. District Court in Wilmington though charges in the case were filed in District Court in Washington, D.C.
Court documents in the case cite video footage posted to Twitter shows Hunter Seefried punching out glass in a window in the Capitol complex after people adjacent to him broke the window with a wooden 2x4. Video footage from the Capitol then allegedly shows the father and son entering the Capitol Building through a broken window at 2:13 p.m. on January 6, 2021. Both were part of a larger group of individuals who allegedly verbally confronted several Capitol police officers for 15 minutes.
Video footage from Capitol Police also shows Hunter Seefried used a cellphone to take a selfie inside the Capitol building at approximately 2:29 p.m.
Both departed the Capitol complex at 2:36 p.m., court documents said.
Both Kevin and Hunter Seefried's arrests come after FBI tips led to their identification. Court documents noted the men identified by agents after receiving reports from a co-worker of Hunter's that Hunter had "bragged" about being in the Capitol building with his father. At a court hearing, it was divulged he's "recently unemployed."
Further, the FBI used Kevin Seefried's driver's license photo to match him to photographs circulating in media that depicted a man carrying a Confederate flag inside the Capitol building.
In voluntary interviews with the FBI, court documents said Kevin and Hunter Seefried admitted to traveling with a Confederate flag from his home in Laurel to Washington, D.C. to see President Donald Trump speak and then participated in a march to the Capitol, where unrest occurred.
You and your son were identified later by FBI agents after having received reports from a co worker of your son Hunter to the effect that the two of you had been in the capitol on Jan. 6.
The duo were among several suspects taken into custody Wednesday across the country in connection with the riot.
"Last week’s breach of the U.S. Capitol Building was nothing less than an assault on our democracy. Those who participated must be held accountable. As I have said previously, this office is committed to working with our partners at the Department of Justice to investigate, apprehend, and where appropriate prosecute Delawareans who committed criminal acts," said U.S. Attorney David Weiss in a prepared statement.
The FBI has more than 126,000 photo and video tips to comb through as arrests continue. The top federal prosecutor in DC told The New York Times he expected the number of people charged with crimes tied to the riots to be in the hundreds.
Kevin Seefried's next court appearance will be in District Court in Washington, D.C. at the end of January.
