By Mike De Felice
Kitsap Daily News
PORT ORCHARD – A Port Orchard man has been charged with four criminal counts for unlawful entry into the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 following a “Stop the Steal” rally headlined by then-President Donald J. Trump.
John M. Cameron, a 55-year-old real estate broker, was charged by criminal complaint with unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol, disorderly conduct aimed at disturbing orderly government business, and demonstrating in the Capitol, according to a criminal complaint filed Dec. 10 in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Cameron turned himself in to federal authorities Wednesday, the day before the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack, to make an initial appearance on the charges in federal court in Tacoma. He did not enter a plea and was released on bond, according to a report by the Seattle Times.
Two days after the insurrection, the FBI indicated it received a tip that Cameron has been at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Authorities were directed to Cameron’s Facebook page.
Cameron posted several photos and videos on Facebook about his involvement in the Jan. 6 events, according to the criminal complaint. Cameron posted a photo of himself and others at the riot on restricted grounds of the U.S. Capitol. One video included the caption, “Civil disobedience[,].” A distant relative of Cameron also identified him in surveillance footage taken that day on congressional grounds, according to officials.
Authorities said they placed Cameron at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, based on videos, photos, interviews and a search warrant served on a mobile device associated with Cameron’s email address. Cameron was on Capitol grounds and inside the Capitol building between 2:09 p.m. and 3:51 p.m., according to the court filing.
In the statement of facts, Cameron was said to have posted on Facebook that the events were “fun, exciting, interesting, and historic.”
On Jan. 6, a joint session of Congress was in session to certify the vote count of the Electoral College for the 2020 presidential election. The session began at approximately 1 p.m. As the proceedings continued, a large pro-Trump crowd gathered outside of the Capitol, with some members breaking through temporary and permanent barricades, according to court documents.
At around 2 p.m., some individuals in the crowd forced entry into the Capitol by breaking windows and assaulting members of the U.S. Capitol Police, according to the criminal complaint. Shortly after the breach of the Capitol, members of the House of Representatives and Senate, including the President of the Senate and Vice President Mike Pence, were instructed to evacuate the chambers.
It was not until the Capitol was cleared that Congress was able to reconvene and certify the presidential election results.
