On his first day in office, President Trump issued pardons to about 1,500 January 6 rioters who were charged with participating in the 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Of those defendants, 46 are from Kansas and Missouri.
Six cases are still active and the interim U.S. Attorney in Washington moved quickly Tuesday to dismiss them.
Two of the defendants are from Kansas, they are brothers William and Michael Pope from Topeka. William Pope asked the court last month for permission to attend Trump’s inauguration. The court granted his request.
The man overseeing all of these motions is Ed Martin, who was named interim U.S. Attorney just hours after Trump was sworn in. Martin is a St. Louis lawyer and prominent in the “stop the steal” movement. He tweeted from the Capitol on January 6th, comparing the day to Mardi Gras and calling on people to ignore “fake news.”
Martin was Missouri state GOP chair in 2013 and has run for Congress and attorney general but lost both races.
The motions to dismiss filed Tuesday by the government are with prejudice, meaning they can’t be refiled.
As NPR reports, "the hours-long assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, injured more than 140 police officers, in one of the largest-ever mass attacks on law enforcement officers in the United States."
For those convicted, by far the most common sentence was probation and a fine. Most sentences were between 30 and 45 days.
Kansas senators have yet to issue public statements about the sweeping action by Trump.
KCUR has been following the cases of these Kansas residents since 2021. Find the details of their charges below, and see the list of Missouri residents who were charged here.
Ryan Ashlock
Ashlock, of Gardner, was arrested in Lenexa on Feb. 22, 2021.
He was charged with conspiracy; obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and aiding and abetting; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; and carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon.
The Kansas City Star reported that he was part of a group of Kansas City-area Proud Boys, including William Chrestman, Christopher Kuehne and Louis Enrique Colon, as well as Arizona siblings Felicia Konold and Cory Konold.
Ashlock was also named as a defendant in a separate civil suit brought by the attorney general of the District of Columbia against the Proud Boys, Oathkeepers and multiple individuals. The suit accuses the defendants of "conspiring to terrorize the District" in connection with the Capitol insurrection.
Ashlock pleaded guilty on June 14, 2022, to a misdemeanor charge of trespassing in a restricted building or grounds and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
On Nov. 10, 2022, a judge sentenced Ashlock to 70 days in prison and 12 months of supervised release. In addition, Ashlock must pay $500 in restitution.
William Chrestman
Chrestman, of Olathe, was arrested in Olathe on Feb. 11, 2021.
He was charged with conspiracy; obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and aiding and abetting; threatening a federal officer; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; and carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon.
He allegedly acted in concert with Christopher Kuehne, Louis Enrique Colon, Felicia Konold and Cory Konold. The U.S. Army veteran has remained in jail since his arrest, according to court documents.
On Monday, Oct. 16, 2023, he pleaded guilty to two felonies: obstruction of an official proceeding and threatening a federal officer. On Jan. 12, 2024, he was sentenced to four years in prison and 36 months of supervised release, and $2,000 in restitution for damage caused to the U.S. Capitol.
Michael Eckerman
Eckerman, of Wichita, was arrested in Wichita on Sept. 20, 2021.
An affidavit filed by an FBI special agent alleged he was nearby when a Capitol police officer shot and killed Ashli Babbit as she attempted to climb through a broken window to enter the House of Representatives.
He was charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers; civil disorder; obstruction of an official proceeding; disorderly conduct in the Capitol building; entering and remaining in a restricted building; entering and remaining on the floor of Congress; parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building; and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
Eckerman told Wichita television station KAKE in September that he wasn't armed and didn’t assault or even touch an officer.
Eckerman pleaded guilty to felony assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer on Nov. 8, 2022. On March 8, 2023, Eckerman was sentenced to 20 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution.
Kasey Von Owen Hopkins
Hopkins, of Kansas City, Kansas, was arrested on Aug. 5, 2022, and charged with four counts of entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct on restricted grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol Building.
On Dec. 5, 2022, he pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol Building. He faced a maximum sentence of six months incarceration, five years' probation and a fine of $5,000. As part of his plea agreement, Hopkins agreed to pay $500 in restitution for damage to the Capitol. On April 10, 2023, he was sentenced to four months' incarceration and two years' probation.
Christopher Kuehne
Kuehne, of Olathe, was arrested in Missouri on Feb. 11, 2021.
Indicted along with Ashlock, Chrestman, Colon, Felicia Konold and Cory Konold, he was charged with conspiracy; civil disorder; obstruction of an official proceeding; knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Kuehne, a Marine veteran and member of the alt-right Proud Boys group, pleaded guilty Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, to one felony count for obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder. He faces a maximum of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a possible $250,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2024. Additionally, like many other insurrectionists, he will be required to pay restitution for damage rioters caused to the U.S. Capitol grounds.
Jennifer Ruth Parks
Parks, of Leavenworth, surrendered in Kansas City, Kan., on April 23, 2021.
She was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
On Sept. 28, Parks pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. On Dec. 8, she was sentenced to 24 months' probation and ordered to pay restitution of $500.
She was sentenced on Dec. 8, 2021, to 24 months of probation and 60 hours of community service. She was also ordered to make restitution of $500.
Parks has since expressed regret about participating in the breach of the Capitol. A sentencing memorandum submitted in her case last month included a letter from her:
“If I could have that day back, I would not have gone to Washington, D.C., and I certainly would not have gone into the Capitol building. I sincerely apologize for my actions. I believe I am wiser and more discerning now than I was then and will spend years trying to make it up to the people I’ve disappointed.”
William Alexander Pope
Pope, of Topeka, was arrested in Topeka on Feb. 12, 2021.
He was charged with civil disorder; obstructing an official proceeding; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; impeding passage through the Capitol; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
Pope unsuccessfully sought a seat on the Topeka City Council in 2019, according to the Kansas Reflector.
Pope, doctoral student and graduate teaching assistant at Kansas State University, told the Topeka Capital-Journal last January that he was “not violent or destructive” and had reported himself to the FBI.
On Nov. 10, 2021, he was charged in a superseding indictment that added several more counts to the original indictment. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Mark Roger Rebegila
Rebegila, of St. Marys, was arrested in Topeka on March 15, 2021.
He was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building and engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct. During the insurrection, he entered Capitol grounds with a flag zip-tied to a piece of plastic pipe, trespassed in offices and took selfies.
On Dec. 1, 2021, he pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. His sentencing is set for March 10, 2022.
On April 20, 2022, he was sentenced to 24 months of probation, including 30 days of home detention, and 60 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and $500 in restitution.
Esther Schwemmer
Schwemmer, of Leavenworth, was arrested in Kansas City, Kansas, on April 23, 2021.
She was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds.
On Sept. 28, 2021, Schwemmer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. On Jan. 10, 2022, she was sentenced to two years' probation and 60 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay $500 in restitution.
Schwemmer, a hairdresser who emigrated to the United States from Germany when she was 24, told the court that she was "deeply ashamed of her actions" and had made "a stupid choice." She said she accepted full responsibility for her actions.
The government’s sentencing memorandum in Schwemmer’s case said that early in the investigation, on Jan. 17, 2021, she agreed to be interviewed by law enforcement. It said she “accepted responsibility for her actions and admitted that she had entered the Capitol.” It also noted that, through her attorney, she “expressed a desire to plead guilty, acknowledge her conduct, and promptly resolve her case.”
Chad Suenram
Suenram, of Wichita, was arrested Monday, Aug. 17, 2023, south of Wichita. Federal investigators allege Suenram illegally entered the U.S. Capitol Building during the insurrection while wearing an American flag mask. According to court records, investigators identified Suenram by tracking his mobile device’s movements on the day of the riot and confirmed his identity through facial recognition software. On April 24, 2024, Suenram pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of entering a restricted building. On Oct. 21, 2024, he was sentenced two two years of probation and $500 in restitution for damage to the Capitol building.
This story will be updated.
Were you at the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and open to talking with KCUR about it? Contact us at lisa@kcur.org.
