Accused Capitol Intruder Is Allowed to Go Hunting

An Arkansas man who is facing trial over the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol has received an unusual break from a federal judge: He is allowed to go hunting. As a condition of his release from prison ahead of trial—he has been out on bond since May 13, 2021—39-year-old Jon Mott cannot possess any weapons, reports Arkansas Online. But last week, his attorney asked the judge to let Mott use firearms for "subsistence hunting" to save money on groceries, and the judge agreed. However, Mott still cannot keep any of those firearms or even ammunition at his residence.

Mott is charged with entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a restricted building, and two counts of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, per the Washington Post. He has pleaded not guilty, and no trial date has been set. Prosecutors say they have evidence from photos and video on social media, as well as body-camera footage, showing that Mott entered the Capitol Rotunda during the siege, at one point pushing back against an officer's baton and yelling, "Don’t touch me. If you don’t touch me, I won’t touch you." He and a friend also allegedly used a GoFundMe page to raise money for their trip to "protest corruption in DC on Jan 6th." (More Capitol riot stories.)