Northwest Iowa man faces charges in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

SIOUX CITY — A Northwest Iowa man and his brother face federal charges of assaulting police and storming the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Earl Jordan, 50, of Dickens, was arrested Wednesday in Spencer. The FBI also has arrested his brother, Christopher Jordan, 48, of St. George, Utah, in Utah.

Both men are charged in federal court in Washington with felony charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. They also face misdemeanor charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.

At an initial appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City, Earl Jordan was released on personal recognizance. Government prosecutors did not seek to have him detained.

Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Kelly Mahoney told Jordan he may not travel outside the Northern District of Iowa without permission from the U.S. Probation Office. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 17 in Washington.

The Jordan brothers are accused of being among the hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump who gathered to protest and contest the results of the November 2020 election in which Joe Biden had defeated Trump. The mob gathered outside the Capitol, and hundreds of protesters broke into the building and disrupted Congress' certification of the Electoral College results declaring Biden the winner.

According to a federal complaint, Earl and Christopher Jordan were observed on police body camera footage at the west front of the Capitol at 2:04 p.m. Jan. 6. They are seen in the footage confronting officers making their way through the crowd. As an officer brushed past him, Earl Jordan allegedly threw his elbow at him, knocking the officer off balance.

As officers attempted to clear Earl Jordan from the area, Christopher Jordan allegedly lunged toward another officer, and the brothers continued their "aggressive behavior" despite being told to get back. Earl Jordan was captured on video allegedly swiping at an officer's face before grabbing the officer by the throat in another encounter. At the same time, Christopher Jordan was trying to take control of another officer's baton.

The brothers eventually disappeared into the crowd, and officers reformed a line in an attempt to block the rioters.

Later that day, the complaint said, Earl and Christopher Jordan were seen in other confrontations near the Capitol's north door. Video footage allegedly shows Earl Jordan picking up a piece of metal fencing and hurling it toward the door as officers attempted to prevent rioters from entering the building. The Jordans remained on Capitol grounds until the evening, when law enforcement was able to clear the area.

During the subsequent investigation, the FBI received a tip Christopher Jordan was involved in the riot from someone "who has interacted closely" with him. The tipster was interviewed by the FBI and confirmed Christopher Jordan was the person seen in numerous images taken that day.

The FBI traced a Google email account to the Capitol's location on Jan. 6 and, using phone numbers associated with the account, determined one of those phone numbers was associated with Earl Jordan's address. FBI agents performed surveillance on Earl Jordan and identified him as a person seen in images taken during the riot.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, 1,504 people have been charged for crimes related to the insurrection.

Among those convicted was Leo Kelly of Cedar Rapids, who made a video of himself at the Senate president’s desk. He was convicted of seven charges and sentenced to 30 months in prison. But a charge was dropped and he was released early from prison. He is expected to be resentenced soon.