Current:Home > Contact-usMontana fire chief who had refused vaccine mandate in Washington state charged in Jan. 6 riot-LoTradeCoin
Montana fire chief who had refused vaccine mandate in Washington state charged in Jan. 6 riot
View Date:2024-12-23 20:13:46
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Montana fire chief who lost a previous job over a coronavirus vaccine mandate has been charged with spraying a chemical irritant on police officers during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Prosecutors say that Frank Dahlquist sprayed “an orange-colored chemical agent” directly into the face of one officer and later sprayed a second officer as supporters of former president Donald Trump attacked the Capitol building in Washington D.C., according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.
He was identified in part by matching his distinctive facial hair with a photo from the riot to a TV news story about firefighters who were terminated from a fire department near Seattle in April 2022 after the agency required a COVID-19 vaccination, court documents state.
Later that year, Dahlquist was named chief of West Valley Fire Rescue, near Helena, Montana.
No lawyer was listed for Dahlquist in court records, and he did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment. The Associated Press also left messages with the fire department.
Dahlquist was charged with assault, obstruction of law enforcement and other counts. The case was first reported by the online publication Court Watch.
He is also accused of throwing a piece of lumber toward a line of police officers, though it fell short of the officers and did not come close to hitting them, prosecutors said. FBI agents confirmed his identity by talking to firefighters who had worked with him in in Issaquah, Washington and identified him from video and photos taken on Jan. 6. They also provided his cellphone number, which was traced to the restricted area of the Capitol that day.
Investigators also found text messages he sent from that number to someone else convicted in the riot, saying “It was a great day!! It got spicy but I love the taste of Freedom.”
He was arrested in Montana and made his first court appearance Wednesday, according to court records.
____
Associated Press writers Michael Kunzelman in Washington and Amy Beth Hanson in Helena, Montana contributed to this story.
veryGood! (1647)
Related
- Army veteran reunites with his K9 companion, who served with him in Afghanistan
- The economy added 150,000 jobs in October as hiring slowed, report shows
- Lawsuit claims Russell Brand sexually assaulted woman on the set of Arthur
- Is love in the air? Travis Kelce asked if he's in love with Taylor Swift. Here's what he said.
- Rachael Ray Details Getting Bashed Over Decision to Not Have Kids
- Connor Stalions, Michigan football staffer at center of sign-stealing scandal, resigns
- Birmingham-Southern College leader confident school can complete academic year despite money woes
- Birmingham-Southern College leader confident school can complete academic year despite money woes
- Tuskegee University closes its campus to the public, fires security chief after shooting
- Mark Zuckerberg undergoes knee surgery after the Meta CEO got hurt during martial arts training
Ranking
- Outgoing North Carolina governor grants 2 pardons, 6 commutations
- Here's what to do if you get behind on your mortgage payment
- Damar Hamlin launches Cincinnati scholarship program to honor the 10 who saved his life
- Gunmen kill 5 people in an apparent dispute over fuel theft in central Mexico, police say
- Advocates Expect Maryland to Drive Climate Action When Trump Returns to Washington
- Mark Zuckerberg undergoes knee surgery after the Meta CEO got hurt during martial arts training
- U.S. regulators will review car-tire chemical that kills salmon, upon request from West Coast tribes
- Large carnivore ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant talks black bears and gummy bears
Recommendation
-
Amazon launches an online discount storefront to better compete with Shein and Temu
-
What time does daylight saving time end? What is it? When to 'fall back' this weekend
-
Highly pathogenic avian flu detected at Alabama chicken farm, nearly 48K birds killed
-
Proof Nick Carter’s Love of Fatherhood Is Larger Than Life
-
NFL Week 10 winners, losers: Cowboys' season can no longer be saved
-
Chelsea’s Emma Hayes expected to become US women’s soccer coach, AP source says
-
What is daylight saving time saving, really? Hint: it may not actually be time or money
-
Large carnivore ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant talks black bears and gummy bears