Despite the fact that Capitol insurrectionist William Robert Norwood III allegedly stole body armor, lied to the FBI, and “led a pack of rioters through the inner sanctum of Speaker Pelosi’s office space” where he lifted a paper coaster, he has been released pending his trial, according to Department of Justice documents seen by The Daily Beast. He is charged with two felonies: obstruction of an official proceeding and theft of government property.
Norwood, who goes by Robbie, boasted to family members about assaulting a law-enforcement officer, according to court documents. “It worked,” he wrote to family members. “I got away with things that others were shot or arrested for.” He went on to brag of his bounty. “I got a nice helmet and body armor off a cop for God’s sake and i disarmed him,” he wrote in messages to friends and family. “Tell me how that works.” In a text to his brother, he said he was among the “ANTIFA Trump supporters” at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Norwood petitioned the court last week to be released to home detention, which was granted Saturday, according to Department of Justice documents that lay out the extent of Norwood’s involvement in the Jan. 6 riots. “Defendant admitted to packing a green tactical vest, bear mace, and a knife in the vehicle he drove to Washington, D.C.,” the document states, before going on to say that he neither wore the vest, used the bear mace, nor wielded the knife while inside the Capitol building.
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As a result of Norwood’s lack of criminal history, the D.C. court determined that he is not a threat so society. “Aside from the defendant’s messages boasting about disarming a law enforcement officer, the government does not have any evidence that defendant engaged in any physically violent or assaultive conduct inside or outside the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021,” government prosecutors stated, submitting that “defendant should be released pending trial.”
As The Daily Beast previously reported, Norwood told his brother that he was part of “ANTIFA Trump supporters” and said he “fought 4 cops” at the riot, posting a selfie to a group chat in which he appeared to sport a Capitol Police vest. His brother texted back: “What the actual fuck is wrong with you?” Later, Norwood’s sibling told a friend about the texts, according to an FBI warrant, and that pal tipped off the feds.
Norwood will be required to wear an electronic monitor and adhere to rules of home detention, which include a curfew and random drug testing.
