A document released Tuesday as a Johnson County man pleaded guilty to his role in the Capitol riot reveals that he and other members of the Kansas City Proud Boys brought guns — including two AR-15 style rifles — body armor and breathing masks with them to the D.C. area.
The statement of offense was entered into the court docket after Ryan Keith Ashlock pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, a misdemeanor.
“Defendant was a first-degree member of the Proud Boys who lived in Gardner, Kansas,” the statement said.
The document describes the actions of the Kansas City group’s members who were charged with conspiring to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Beginning around December 2020, the statement said, Ashlock and other Proud Boys, including some of his co-defendants, began discussing traveling to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 to show support for former President Donald Trump and protest Congress’ certification of the election results.
In coordinating their trip, the statement said, the group sent electronic communications to each other that included discussions about engaging in violence with Antifa and Black Lives Matter supporters. They also discussed bringing two-way radios, medical supplies, weapons and other equipment and concealing their identities, the statement said.
“During such communications, when another individual stated, ‘(w)e will be headed back on the 7th, either to prepare for war or celebrate a trump victory,’ defendant responded, ‘Yep. Best part is demorat (sic) cities and states will turn into 4th world (expletive deleted) holes,” the statement said.
On Jan. 4, it said, Ashlock, Christopher Kuehne, of Olathe; Louis Colon, of Blue Springs; and another person drove from the Kansas City area to the Washington, D.C., metro area.
“Defendant brought a handgun with him on the trip, but did not bring it into Washington, D.C.,” the statement said. “Co-defendant Kuehne brought two AR-15 or similar assault rifles on the trip, which he kept in his vehicle and did not bring into Washington, D.C.”
On the morning of Jan. 6, the statement said, Ashlock and the others traveled from Arlington, Virginia, to Washington, D.C., where they met up with a large group of Proud Boys at the Washington Monument. Arizona siblings Felicia and Cory Konold joined the group as they marched toward the Capitol chanting, among other things, “Whose streets? Our streets!”
As they reached the Capitol grounds, the statement said, Ashlock saw others fighting with police at the barricades and then pushing past them onto restricted grounds.
“Defendant, who was equipped with body armor, goggles, a filtered breathing mask, and a chemical irritant spray, proceeded over the toppled barricades and moved towards the Capitol’s West Plaza where he attempted to prevent the police officers from using force against others in the crowd,” the statement said. “Defendant also attempted to prevent officers from pushing a barricade forward and was sprayed in the face with a chemical irritant.
“Shortly thereafter, defendant left the Capitol’s restricted grounds.”
After Ashlock left, the statement said, he communicated with a close family member who warned him to get “away from the building.”
“Defendant responded, among other things, ‘(expletive deleted) all these (expletive deleted) liar politicians. Trump should have them all executed,’” the statement said.
Several days later, the statement said, Ashlock sent a message to others, saying, “America needs a civil war. The government can’t win one and the rest of the world goes into chaos with us.”
Ashlock, 23, was the second member of the Kansas City Proud Boys group to plead guilty in the case. His plea hearing was held via video conference.
“Are you entering this plea of guilty because you are, in fact, guilty?” U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly asked.
“Yes, your honor,” Ashlock said.
As part of the plea agreement, the government dropped several other charges against Ashlock, including conspiracy and civil disorder, which are felonies. The agreement requires Ashlock to cooperate with authorities in the investigation.
His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 10. He faces a maximum sentence of one year imprisonment, a $100,000 fine and one year of supervised release. He also is required to pay $500 in restitution for damage to the Capitol building. Prosecutors say repairs to the building totaled about $1.5 million.
Ashlock is the fourth of eight Kansas defendants to plead guilty in connection with the Capitol riot. The other three have all been sentenced to two years’ probation, with one of them also receiving 30 days’ home detention and a $2,000 fine.
Ashlock was indicted by a federal grand jury last year along with three other Kansas City-area Proud Boys — Kuehne and William Chrestman, of Olathe; and Colon, of Blue Springs. The Konold siblings also were charged in the conspiracy.
The indictment alleged that the Proud Boys “planned with each other, and with others known and unknown, to forcibly enter the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and to stop, delay, and hinder the Congressional proceeding occurring that day.”
The six were charged with conspiracy; obstruction of an official proceeding; civil disorder; and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. Chrestman also was charged with threatening to assault a federal law enforcement officer and carrying a wooden ax handle while in the Capitol building and on the grounds.
All except Chrestman were released on a personal recognizance bond pending trial. Chrestman remains in custody without bond. Prosecutors allege that he was a key player in the insurrection.
Colon, described in court documents as a “first-degree member of the Proud Boys,” pleaded guilty in federal court in April to one count of civil disorder, a felony. His plea agreement requires him to cooperate with prosecutors and other law enforcement authorities in the case.
Colon’s sentencing date has not been set. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Proud Boys — who describe themselves as a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western Chauvinists” — are at the forefront of the federal investigation into the attack. Authorities have rounded up more than three dozen members from around the country, including several in leadership positions, on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to assaulting a federal officer to sedition.
The rare sedition charges came on June 6, when Henry “Enrique Tarrio,” the group’s former leader, and four other members already facing other charges were indicted for seditious conspiracy in what federal prosecutors say was a coordinated attack on the Capitol to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s election victory.
In January, 11 members or associates of the anti-government extremist Oath Keepers, including founder Stewart Rhodes, also were indicted on seditious conspiracy charges. Three have pleaded guilty.
Ashlock’s alleged role in the riot has been less visible than that of his co-defendants, in part because he didn’t go inside the Capitol.
Chrestman appeared at least twice in a video Thursday during a prime-time televised hearing of the special House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack. The video showed the buildup to the riot as the angry mob of Trump supporters advanced on the Capitol, followed by some previously unseen footage of the breach itself.
In one clip, Chrestman could be seen in tactical gear marching toward the Capitol with a large group of Proud Boys, pumping a flag-wrapped ax handle in the air as the crowd chanted.
In another scene, Chrestman and the Konolds were rushing toward the Capitol steps. Chrestman, still carrying the ax handle, was leading the group.
