A Linden man charged with assaulting law enforcement during the insurrection attempt at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 will remain in custody prior to his trial.
63-year-old Matthew Thomas Krol was charged March 30th in an eight-count indictment with two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon, and then single counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, civil disorder, robbery, engaging and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon and engaging in an act of physical violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings.
Krol, who pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., has been in custody since his arrest Feb. 22nd in Linden.
According to court documents, Krol is the self-professed executive officer of the Genesee County Volunteer Militia and admitted to the FBI after his arrest that he had associated with some of those who had been charged with the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, including telling one of them in a Facebook exchange that he “would rather apprehend tyrants at the Capital (sic), hang them on those beautiful oak trees then kill citizens in a civil war … just sayin.”
Court documents indicate that a motion by Krol for pre-trial release was rejected by the court due to “Krol’s violent rhetoric, association with individuals alleged to have been involved with the plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer, historical leadership of a militia group, and ownership of approximately ten guns” that lead the Court to conclude he “poses a concrete, prospective threat to public safety.”
Authorities contend that on Jan. 6, at approximately 2:28 p.m., he pushed forward through a crowd near the Capitol Steps on the east side of the building, threw a water bottle at police officers, pulled other civilians out of his way, and attacked an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department. He allegedly grabbed the officer, spun him around, and stole his police baton. He is then said to have held up the baton to the crowd and used it to strike other officers, including one who was holding a shield.
According to documents filed in federal court, Krol admitted to attending Michigan rallies with a rifle strapped to his shoulder, including at least one at the state Capitol in Lansing.
The Jan. 6th, 2021 assault disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Federal authorities say that in the 21 months since Jan. 6, more than 955 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, with over 450 individuals already pleading guilty.
