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Federal investigators say this is Todd Michael Bills (in red circle) on the northwest steps just before entering the Capitol.
CELINA- A former Coldwater school board member was arrested earlier this week on multiple federal charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and faces up to two years in prison.
Todd Michael Bills, 59, of Coldwater was apprehended by an FBI agent in Toledo on Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Bills was charged with four misdemeanor charges - entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
Each misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of a fine and up to six months in prison.
The FBI established that Bills was present at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, using GPS data and information, per the criminal complaint.
"In this case, Google location data showed that two accounts with the username Todd Bills were within the U.S. Capitol from about 2:20 to 2:37 p.m. on Jan. 6," the complaint states. "Several location datapoints possessed a 'Maps display radius' of less than 100 feet, which encompassed an area that is entirely within the U.S. Capitol Building."
Furthermore, the FBI reviewed video footage of the events that took place both inside and outside the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, from a variety of sources, including security footage from Capitol police and publicly available video, the complaint reads.
Video evidence from the Jan. 6 insurrection reportedly shows that Bills climbed scaffolding in front of the lower west terrace of the Capitol.
"At approximately 2:23 p.m., within 10 minutes of that initial breach (of the Capitol), Bills entered the Capitol through the doors," the complaint reads. "… Once inside, Bills turned right and joined other rioters who had gathered in the Capitol's Crypt, the room located directly under the Capitol Rotunda, with access points to many other parts of the Capitol. Here, a line of police officers again tried to hold the crowd back as they chanted, 'USA' and 'push.' However, that crowd, including Bills, pushed through that police line and deeper into the Crypt."
The complaint states that Bills ultimately turned and headed back across the Crypt and then exited the Capitol through a broken window next to the door at approximately 2:35 p.m.
When reached for comment by the newspaper on Thursday afternoon, Bills said he had no comment.
He served on the Coldwater Exempted Village Schools Board of Education from 2010-2017. He is also registered to vote in Mercer County as a Republican, according to the Mercer County Board of Elections.
Bills was booked into the Lucas County Corrections Center on Monday morning and released later that night after posting $10,000 bond.
Bills retained attorney Marina Medvin as counsel. His next court date is unknown.
He is now the third local resident to be charged in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection. Celina couple Shawndale and Donald Chilcoat face multiple federal charges.
They recently informed a federal court that they intend to accept a plea agreement with the U.S. government and are scheduled to appear for an in-person plea hearing today.
In the event that a plea is not entered at the plea hearing, the parties should be prepared to discuss a trial date, pretrial motions and other issues related to trial preparation, per court documents.
Shawndale and Donald Chilcoat were arraigned on April 11 on a superseding indictment of an upgraded eight charges, including felony obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The couple were also charged with six misdemeanors - entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; entering and remaining in the gallery of Congress; disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; parade, demonstrate or picket in any of the Capitol buildings; and failure to appear.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation established the Chilcoats were present at the insurrection from social media posts, phone records and footage from U.S. Capitol Police CCTV and Senate TV recordings, according to a statement of facts provided in a criminal complaint.
