Two Indianapolis men and a Greenwood man were arrested Thursday in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot of last year, federal court documents show.
The men were identified as Jared Cantrell, Quentin Cantrell and Eric Cantrell in a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
A tipster told investigators that Jared Cantrell and his two cousins were in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, and that Jared Cantrell posted photos to social media from inside the US Capitol during the riot, according to the criminal complaint.
The social media accounts were linked to Jared Cantell via his verified phone number, investigators say.
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Two images posted to the Instagram account show Jared Cantrell, identified by tipster, inside the US Capitol rotunda, according to the criminal complaint.
Investigators have identified several interesting posts on Jared Cantrell’s Facebook page since the day of the riot and the day after.
The messages read “I was one of the first 50 to enter”, “Forced entry” and “I don’t think I broke any laws. I had never been to the (Capitole) before and that was a big reason why I went there in the first place. I did not break through any barricades or force any police,” according to the criminal complaint.
An investigator compared videos of the riot to photographs of the three men from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, according to the criminal complaint.
Quentin Cantrell and Eric Cantrell were identified in video showing the men on the West Terrace of the US Capitol on January 6 during the riot, investigators say.
CCTV from inside the United States Capitol building captured the three men entering the building alongside each other, according to the criminal complaint.
Cell phone records from the three men indicate that their phones used a cell site that provides service inside the United States Capitol building on Jan. 6, according to the criminal complaint.
The three men face charges of entering and staying in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a capitol building and parade. , demonstration or picketing in a Capitol building.
They were arrested at their home in Indiana. The men’s first appearances were at a federal courthouse in New Albany on Thursday, March 10, said Chris Bavender, a spokesman for the FBI’s Indianapolis office.
Jared Cantrell, 38, and Quentin Cantrell, 54, currently live in Indianapolis, while Eric Cantrell, 51, lives in Greenwood. The three men were released after their first appearances, pending further proceedings in Washington DC, according to the FBI.
Nine other people with Indiana ties have been arrested and charged in connection with the riots at the US Capitol last year.
A Bloomington woman became the first person convicted for her role in the insurgency and a Columbus guitarist was the first person charged in the attack to enter a plea.
Lawyers for Jared Cantrell, Quentin Cantrell and Eric Cantrell were not yet listed in court records. The three men did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this story.
Contact Jake Allen at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.
