New indictment accuses Ky. man of assaulting 2 officers during U.S. Capitol attack
A Kentucky man is one of five facing new charges in a recently unsealed superseding indictment connected to attacks on officers during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6.
Clayton Ray Mullins of Benton had already been charged with assaulting one Metropolitan Police Department officer during the riot, and now he has been charged with assaulting another, according to the indictment. He also faces several other charges, including obstructing or impeding officers during the riot, engaging in violence on restricted grounds and impeding government business.
Others charged in the indictment with assaulting one or multiple officers were Jack Wade Whitton, 30, of Georgia, Jeffrey Sabol of Colorado, Peter Francis Stager of Arkansas and Michael John Lopatic, Sr., of Pennsylvania.
Mullins was previously accused of dragging a police officer down a set of stairs outside the U.S. Capitol during the attack. The officer was then assaulted by multiple people who kicked him, struck him with poles and maced him, according to court records. The officer was injured.
The indictment doesn’t detail Mullins’ alleged actions with the second officer.
In an interview, the officer that was allegedly dragged by Mullins into the crowd said that he had his baton and phone taken from him during the crowd’s assault and that he was only able to get up and get away when one person in the crowd intervened, according to court records.
The case is being handled in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., where hundreds are facing charges related to the events of Jan. 6.
Mullins had been released from jail to home confinement in March.
The FBI continues to investigate tips related to the attack at the U.S. Capitol. Tips can be called in to 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or made by visiting tips.fbi.gov.
This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 5:11 PM.
