TEXAS – Two more Texans, a husband and wife, have been charged in connection to the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection event at the U.S. Capitol.
Mark and Jalise Middleton, of Montague County, were taken into custody on Wednesday and are accused of a number of crimes including assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, the FBI reported.
According to investigators, Mark Middleton, who was wearing a “Trump” hat, pushed against barriers. When an officer repeatedly ordered Mark Middleton and others to “get back,” the accused replied, “[expletive] you” as he continued pushing against the barrier. The incident was caught on camera.
At the same time, investigators say, Jalise Middleton repeatedly grabbed and struck an officer with her hand.
The FBI was alerted to the alleged activity of the couple by the Fort Worth Intelligence Fusion Center. Mark Midleton publicly posted a video to his Facebook page in which he says the following:
“We are on the front lines. We helped push down the barriers. Jalise and I got pepper-sprayed, clubbed and teargassed. We had to retreat, but more patriots pushed forward, and they’re taking back our house. They’ve got the giant flag up on the upper terrace up there. No more fooling around! Jalise and I gotta go back to the hotel and try to recoup and change, get dry clothes on. Make America great again! Freedom!”
That was followed by several more Facebook posts by both of the accused placing them near the Capitol that day in January.
In one post, Jalise Middleton wrote, “We fought the cops to get in the Capital (sic) and got pepper sprayed and beat but gosh the patriots got in!”
In another post, Jalise Middleton wrote, “Me and my husband were on the front lines pushing into the capital (sic) and got past the fencing but then we got beat by a cop and pepper sprayed so we had to retreat but you see all our fellow patriots got in.”
The Middletons are among dozens of Texans arrested in connection to the riot at the U.S. Capitol.