Evergreen Reporter

A North Carolina man was arrested on August 15, 2024, on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his alleged conduct during the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged actions and those of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

John Joseph Carl, 41, of Pinetops, North Carolina, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and misdemeanor offenses including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, parading, picketing, and demonstrating in a Capitol building.

The FBI arrested Carl on August 15, 2024, in Pinetops. Carl made his initial appearance in the Eastern District of North Carolina. He is identified as a police officer in North Carolina.

According to court documents, John Carl traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the former President's rally on January 6, 2021. After the rally, Carl proceeded to the West Front of the U.S. Capitol building.

At about 2:00 p.m., Carl was at the front of a crowd confronting police officers near the northwest scaffolding stairs. As police attempted to move through the crowd, they became surrounded. Officers tried to push these rioters back; it is alleged that Carl resisted police commands by raising his arms to push back against them and grabbing an officer's arm and baton.

Later at approximately 3:05 p.m., Carl allegedly entered the Capitol building via the Senate Wing Door and made his way into the office of a U.S. Senator.

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 with valuable assistance from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

The investigation is being conducted by FBI's Charlotte and Washington Field Offices with assistance from U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department. Carl was identified as BOLO (Be on Lookout) #453 on FBI’s seeking information photographs.

In the 43 months since January 6, 2021, more than 1,488 individuals have been charged across nearly all states for crimes related to this breach including nearly 550 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement—a felony offense. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

A complaint is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

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