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Shawndale Chilcoat, left, and her husband Donald are seen here on the floor of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021. They faced at least 20 years in federal prison before President Trump's blanket pardons to Jan. 6 defendants on Tuesday.
Source: FBI
CELINA - The United States government has moved to dismiss the federal cases against a Celina couple and Coldwater man who were charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The motions come just a day after President Donald Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases of about 1,500 people charged with crimes related to Jan. 6, including people convicted of assaulting police officers.
The FBI established the Chilcoats were present at the insurrection from posts on social media, phone records, and footage from U.S. Capitol Police CCTV and Senate TV recordings. President Trump's gave blanket pardons to Jan. 6 defendants on Tuesday.
Source: FBI
Shawndale and Donald Chilcoat were arraigned on April 11, 2024, 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 was also charged with misdemeanors such as 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; and parade, demonstrate or picket in any of the Capitol buildings.
They were scheduled to face trial on May 5 in Washington, D.C., according to a scheduling order handed down by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on Dec. 23, 2024.
The FBI established the Chilcoats were present at the insurrection from posts on social media, phone records, and footage from U.S. Capitol Police CCTV and Senate TV recordings, according to a statement of facts provided in the criminal complaint.
The complaint includes pictures of the Chilcoats entering the Senate chambers from CCTV footage and photos they took of each other on the Senate floor.
Investigators reportedly acted on multiple tips the Chilcoats were part of the insurrection and entered the U.S. Capitol illegally.
"Another tipster … provided a tip that stated 'Donny Chilcoat & wife from St. Marys, OH supposedly seen in the photo behind 'man with horn hat' as he entered the Capital Building. Donny is reporting (sic) to friends he was there & inside. Also, a bus from Coldwater, OH took group to Trump speech, then the group attended Capital Riots,'" the statement of facts reads.
In screenshots from Shawndale Chilcoat's Facebook account provided in the criminal complaint, Shawndale Chilcoat allegedly posted several videos and pictures of the couple storming the Capitol building.
"OK so antifa is being blamed for breaking windows and storming congress. Um no, it was us I was with them and couldn't be more proud," Shawndale Chilcoat allegedly wrote in a post on Facebook, per the complaint. "Please stop giving them credit and realize trumps side has crazies too and they should stew on that for awhile."
The complaint also alleges Shawndale Chilcoat in a video sent to other Facebook users said "I'm right at the top of the congress… we're going to show them how they need to vote today."
The criminal complaint included screenshots of Facebook posts posted by "Shawndale Morgan Chilcoat" at what appears to be the U.S. Capitol building. One screenshot in the complaint showed a posted video with the caption: "This should be a warning to congress, just try it on the 20th and u wont have to worry about bidens day not having anyone show up!"
Judge Kollar-Kotelly has not yet ruled on the government's motion.
Federal investigators say this is Todd Michael Bills (in circle) on the northwest steps just before entering the U.S. Capitol in Washington. President Trump's gave blanket pardons to Jan. 6 defendants on Tuesday.
Source: FBI
Todd Michael Bills, 59, was charged in September 2024 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, a former Coldwater school board member, 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.
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.
Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey has not yet ruled on the government's motion.
