A Boulder man and his father were arrested in the past week after federal authorities say they tried to force their way past police who were guarding the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as rioters stormed a joint session of Congress trying to certify the 2020 presidential electoral votes.
Jonathan Wayne “Duke” Valentour, 26, was arrested in Colorado on Monday and his father, Joseph Charles Valentour, 66, of Ohio, was arrested Friday in that state, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Both face felony charges for allegedly assaulting, resisting or impeding police officers and obstructing police, court records show. They were also charged with five misdemeanors, including conducting disorderly conduct and physical violence inside the Capitol.
The arrests come as federal investigators continue to file charges against people tied to the attack and days before Donald Trump is inaugurated Jan. 20 for a second term. Trump has vowed to pardon Jan. 6 rioters on his first day in office. It is still unclear whether he intends to pardon all of them or those who were nonviolent.
The FBI identified both men through surveillance video footage more than two years after the attack, according to a criminal complaint. Investigators used publicly available photographs, like LinkedIn profile photos, to identify the men seen in the footage in 2023 and conducted interviews through 2024, the complaint said.
Joseph Valentour allegedly pushed past the line of police officers and tried to disarm an officer, causing the officer to fall down a set of stairs, investigators wrote. He then attempted to tackle another officer who came to assist the fallen officer, according to the complaint.
Body-worn camera footage shows his son, Jonathan Valentour, charging through the police line with other rioters, at times using a police shield as cover, the complaint said. Jonathan Valentour continued pushing until an officer pepper-sprayed him and he returned to the mob.
Attorneys for the men could not immediately be reached.
Both men are among 1,500 people, including at least 20 Coloradans, charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. More than 600 people were charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony.