News24com US Capitol Two former police officers reject justice depts plea offers over role in attack

Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest inside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC.

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Two former police officers from Rocky Mount, Virginia, have rejected initial plea deal offers by the US Justice Department to resolve charges stemming from their role in storming the US Capitol on 6 January, a federal prosecutor said on Tuesday.

Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker, who at the time was also a corporal for the National Guard, are both charged with obstructing an official proceeding, as well as lesser charges including violent entry and disorderly conduct.

In a status hearing on Tuesday, federal prosecutor Elizabeth Aloi said both defendants had rejected initial offers to settle the case, though an attorney for Fracker said his client would be open to negotiating a separate deal that is not tied to Robertson's alleged conduct.

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Last month, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered Robertson to be detained in jail pending trial, after prosecutors said the FBI had discovered that since his arrest, Robertson was still buying firearms and ammunition online.

The FBI searched Robertson's home on 29 June and found a loaded M4 military assault rifle and what appeared to be a partially assembled pipe bomb.

Cooper, in his ruling on 28 July, said there was "probable cause to believe that Roberston committed a felony" by shipping firearms while on pretrial release.

To date, however, the government has not filed any additional charges against him.

Fracker, meanwhile, remains out of custody on his own personal recognisance.

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