A Virginia police department fired two officers Tuesday for participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol building.
Officers Jacob Fracker and Thomas Robertson were suspended from the Rocky Mount, Virginia, Police Department without pay Jan. 23 after it was revealed that they were in Washington, D.C., at the Capitol building during the riot, a press release from the department said.
The arrest warrants, which were posted by WDVM News, charge both men with “knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority” and “violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.” (RELATED: REPORT: WalkAway Campaign Founder Arrested Over Participation In Capitol Riot)
During the riot, Fracker and Robertson were photographed in front of a statue of John Stark “making an obscene statement,” according to the complaint. Photos on social media show the two men standing in front of the statue and one of them holding up his middle finger.
*2 off-duty Virginia police officers arrested for roles in Capitol riot.
*Officers Jacob Fracker & Thomas Robertson are members of Rocky Mount Police Dept.
*Both charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct & knowingly entering a restricted building.https://t.co/VwzWll06Pw pic.twitter.com/neE4ieJJ6g— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) January 14, 2021
Robertson later made a social media post stating: “CNN and the Left are just mad because we actually attacked the government who is the problem and not some random small business … The right IN ONE DAY took the f***** U.S. Capitol. Keep poking us.”
“Lol to anyone who’s possibly concerned about the picture of me going around… Sorry I hate freedom?” Fracker said in a now-deleted Facebook post, according to the complaint. “Not like I did anything illegal…y’all do what you feel you need to…”
“We hear those who have communicated their anger and frustration about the actions of these individuals or our response to those actions,” the Rocky Mount Police Department said in a Tuesday statement. “There is no playbook for dealing with what occurred on January 6. We have treated the process of review seriously from the beginning and thank those who contributed and in coordinating a response in a quick, objective and lawful manner.”
“The events of the past few weeks have been challenging for our town, as they have been for the entire nation,” the department added. “The actions by two have driven our beautiful town into the national spotlight in ways that do not reflect our whole community and the people who call Rocky Mount home.”