JOHN STEVEN ANDERSON charged with U.S. Capitol insurrection case

Alleged U.S. Capitol insurrectionist JOHN STEVEN ANDERSON of St. Johns County is in federal custody tonight, arrested and charged with five federal felonies. 

The docket sheet reports the following charges: 18:111A.M Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers and Aiding and Abetting; 

18:231.F CIVIL DISORDER and Aiding and Abetting; 

18:641.M THEFT/EMBEZZLEMENT OF U. S. PROPERTY and Aiding and Abetting; 

18:1752.P Entering and Remaining in a RESTRICTED BUILDING OR GROUNDS; , 

40:5104E.M VIOLENT ENTRY AND DISORDERLY CONDUCT ON CAPITOL GROUNDS

A 2:30 pm February 26, 2021 bail hearing is set before a federal magistrate judge, the Honorable Monte C. Richardson.

His criminal defense attorneys are unsuccessful former Circuit Court Judge candidate Daniel Hilbert and Andrew Morgan of the law firm owned by School Board member Patrick Canan.

ANDERSON was arrested and released in January after entering the U.S. Capitol.

ANDERSON's middle name was not given in January news media reports and his information is still not on the District of Colimbai U.S. Attorney's website for insurrectionists.

This lack of information led GANNETT's incurious St. Augustine Record to do nothing to learn which of some ten local John Andersons was arrested.  When I inquired last month of the overwhelmed U.S. Capitol Police, there was no response.  Thus, unlike the Record, I did not report the arrest, lest it besmirch nine other John Andersons who did not join the Capitol insurrection.  The name John Anderson is shared with a former presidential candidate and his son, John, Jr., who stole a Charles Darwin letter from the Smithsonian Institution.

It would be helpful if the FBI released full names of arrestees and if local news organizations actually covered the news, for a change.

Courthouse records on the Clerk of Court website show ANDERSON involved in contentious divorce litigation alleging  domestic violence, as well as dismissed charges of assault, and fines paid for driving without wearing a seatbelt, driving with an expired license tag.

The Florida Times Union reported February 25, 2021:

St. Augustine man remains jailed after first court appearance in Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, faces multiple counts

By Dan Scanlan

Florida Times-Union

A St. Augustine man remains behind bars after his first appearance before a federal magistrate Thursday in Jacksonville on multiple charges in the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol.

John Steven Anderson, 61, will stay in custody until his Friday detention hearing after U.S. Magistrate Monte Richardson heard federal prosecutors give a synopsis of the charges based on police bodycam and other video.

"The video is chaotic," Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Talbot told the judge. 

Anderson's arrest was reported a day after the invasion of the Capitol in Washington. Dozens of rioters are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Wearing a brown T-shirt and khaki pants, the balding, bespeckled man was fully shackled when he was led into the courtroom. He faces federal charges of obstruction of law enforcement, theft of government property, entering a restricted building, violent entry to the Capitol and assaulting a law enforcement officer. Those charges could bring him up to 8½ years in prison and a total $550,000 fine.

Talbot recommended $25,000 bail, a mandate that he surrender his four rifles and three handguns to a third party and travel restrictions to only the Middle District of Florida. Richardson opted to remand Anderson into the custody of U.S. deputy marshals until his detention hearing.

Talbot said video shows Anderson pushing up against the Capitol entrance with a large group of people. Then at some point he was "able to get a shield"  from a police officer. "He is the one who physically took" the shield, Talbot said.

Police bodycam video shows him confronting law enforcement who demand he retreat and give the shield back. 

Anderson did not give the shield back and was pepper-sprayed, the video shows. He apparently has asthma and collapsed at that point, tended to by medical officials then given a citation and released.

Anderson's defense attorneys tried to get the recommended $25,000 bail reduced saying "he is not a wealthy man."

Others arrested from Northeast Florida include 39-year-old Adam Avery Honeycutt of Clay County, charged on Feb. 12 with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building without lawful authority, as well as violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Arrested on similar charges in recent weeks include Middleburg couple Rachael Lynn Pert, 40, and Dana Joe Winn, 45, as well as Macclenny resident Bradley Weeks, charged on Jan. 21 after he was seen on video outside and inside the Capitol, according to court documents.

A joint session of Congress had convened at the Capitol to certify the Electoral College vote count of the 2020 presidential election, and the House and Senate had adjourned to separate chambers when protesters began storming the building. By 2:20 p.m. members of the House and Senate as well as then-Vice President Mike Pence had to evacuate the chambers as protesters breached the barricades around the Capitol, shoving past police as they tried to keep the crowd away.

Defendants must first appear before a judge in the district where their arrests took place.

Dan Scanlan: (904) 359-4549

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First Coast News reported February 25:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – John Anderson, a St. Augustine man who was arrested on the day of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, went before a federal judge Thursday.

Anderson, 61, is accused of unlawful entry into the Capitol. A judge Thursday ordered Anderson to remain in custody until his Friday detention hearing.

Federal prosecutors say police body cam shows Anderson in a large group of people while holding an officer’s shield. After repeatedly asking him to give back the shield, an officer sprayed him with an unknown substance.

Anderson claimed he had asthma and went into a medical distress. He was then cited and arrested, according to the FBI.

Federal agents have not released photos of the man, including his mugshot.

Anderson has a total of five charges against him. The judge scheduled Anderson’s detention hearing for Friday at 2:30 pm.

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Here is the docket sheet:

U.S. District Court
Middle District of Florida (Jacksonville)
CRIMINAL DOCKET FOR CASE #: 3:21-mj-01089-MCR All Defendants

Case title: USA v. Anderson Other court case number:  1:21-mj-00239 District of Columbia

Date Filed: 02/25/2021

---

Assigned to: Magistrate Judge Monte C. Richardson
Defendant (1)
John Anderson	represented by	Andrew Taylor Morgan   Canan Law   1030 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd.   St Augustine, FL 32084   904/824-9402   Fax: 904/829-9269   Email: amorgan@cananlaw.com  LEAD ATTORNEY  ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED  Designation: Retained Daniel K. Hilbert   Canan Law   1030 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd.   St Augustine, FL 32084   904/824-9402   Fax: 904/824-9269   Email: DHILBERT@CANANLAW.COM  LEAD ATTORNEY  ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED  Designation: Retained
Pending Counts		Disposition
None
Highest Offense Level (Opening)
None
Terminated Counts		Disposition
None
Highest Offense Level (Terminated)
None
Complaints		Disposition
18:111A.M Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers and Aiding and Abetting; , 18:231.F CIVIL DISORDER and Aiding and Abetting; 18:641.M THEFT/EMBEZZLEMENT OF U. S. PROPERTY and Aiding and Abetting; 18:1752.P Entering and Remaining in a RESTRICTED BUILDING OR GROUNDS; , 40:5104E.M VIOLENT ENTRY AND DISORDERLY CONDUCT ON CAPITOL GROUNDS

---

Plaintiff
USA	represented by	Frank Merrill Talbot , II   US Attorney's Office - FLM   Suite 700   300 N Hogan St   Jacksonville, FL 32202   904/301-6300   Fax: 904/301-6310   Email: frank.m.talbot@usdoj.gov  LEAD ATTORNEY  ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED  Designation: Retained

Date Filed	#	Docket Text
02/25/2021	1	Arrest pursuant to Rule 5(c)(2) of John Anderson from the District of Columbia. (SHS) (Entered: 02/25/2021)
02/25/2021	2	Minute Entry proceedings held before Magistrate Judge Monte C. Richardson: INITIAL APPEARANCE in Rule 5(c)(3) proceedings held on 2/25/2021 as to John Anderson from the District of Columbia. Appearance entered by Daniel K. Hilbert,Andrew Taylor Morgan for John Anderson on behalf of defendant. (Digital) (SHS) (Entered: 02/25/2021)
02/25/2021	3	ORAL MOTION for Bond by USA as to John Anderson. (SHS) (Entered: 02/25/2021)
02/25/2021	4	ORDER OF TEMPORARY DETENTION as to John Anderson Detention Hearing set for 2/26/2021 at 02:30 PM in Jacksonville Courtroom 5 C before Magistrate Judge Monte C. Richardson. Signed by Magistrate Judge Monte C. Richardson on 2/25/2021. (SHS) (Entered: 02/25/2021)
02/25/2021	5	ORDER as to John Anderson: Pursuant to the Due Process Protections Act, the Court confirms the United States' obligation to produce all exculpatory evidence to the defendant pursuant to Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963), and its progeny and orders the United States to do so. Failing to do so in a timely manner may result in consequences, including exclusion of evidence, adverse jury instructions, dismissal of charges, contempt proceedings, and sanctions. Signed by Judge Timothy J. Corrigan on 12/1/2020. (SHS) (Entered: 02/25/2021)

Here are the courtroom notes from the February 25, 2021 initial appearance:

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA 

JACKSONVILLE DIVISION

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.    CASE NO. 3:21-mj-1089-MCR

vs.

JOHN ANDERSON

Defense Atty.: DANIEL K. HILBERT ANDREW TAYLOR MORGAN AUSA: FRANK MERRILL TALBOT, II

JUDGE:	Monte C. Richardson U.S. Magistrate Judge	DATE AND TIME	February 25, 2021 3:09 PM – 3:424 PM 15 MINUTES
DEPUTY CLERK:	Sharon Spaulding	TAPE/REPORTER	Digital
INTERPRETER	None Required	PRETRIAL/PROBATION		JAMES HASKETT

PROCEEDINGS:

CLERK’S MINUTES
INITIAL APPEARANCE /RULE 5

Defendant arrested on probable cause on February 25, 2021 by the FBI. Defendant advised of rights, charges, penalties and special assessment.

Oral Notice of appearance entered on behalf of Defendant by Daniel K. Hilbert, Esq. and Andrew Taylor Morgan, Esq. Mr. Hilbert further advised that Defendant has retained Marina Medvina, Esq. in the District of Columbia.

Government orally moved for bond.

Court ordered Defendant temporarily detained pending a detention hearing to be held on February 26, 2021 at 2:30 pm.