Where charges stand for North Alabama men at Capitol insurrection

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, is the one-year anniversary of a day that will forever be etched in history.

The massive group, mostly made up of Trump supporters caused more than a million dollars worth of damage.

Days later the United States government launched its biggest investigation to find, arrest and charge those involved in the attack.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), more than 725 accused rioters have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Out of those arrests, 11 of them were from right here in Alabama, including four from north Alabama.

Those four are Lonnie Coffman of Falkville, Joshua James of Arab, Dillion Herrington of Madison and Kevin Greeson of Athens. Greeson died from medical issues during the protest.

“This is probably one of the largest law enforcement incidents from a standpoint of the sheer number of people arrested that we’ve seen in our country’s history,” retired federal agent and president of S3 Global, Scott Sweetow said.

Lonnie Coffman from Morgan County was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and carrying a pistol without a license. He pled guilty in November and will be sentenced in April of 2022.

Joshua James from Marshall County was charged with conspiracy, entering a restricted building, civil disorder and aiding and abetting. He is awaiting his trial date.

Finally, Dillon Herrington from Madison County was charged with entering a restricted building, engaging in physical violence, and attempting to interfere with law enforcement. He has a status hearing on January 25, 2022.

These are just three of 325 people charged with felonies in this riot.

“Some of these felonies carry very long terms in federal prison,” Sweetow said. He added, Lonnie Coffman could get a lesser sentence with his guilty plea.

But those like Dillon Herrington, who’s been dubbed the MAGA Lumberjack for hurtling a piece of wood at officers, and Joshua James, accused of calling other conspirators the morning of the attack, are awaiting trial.

“You made the government spend a lot of time and effort to go to trial, and ultimately if you get convicted, and the federal government does win well over 90% of those cases, you’re going to be facing a much higher charge,” Sweetow said.

Sweetow says if something like this ever were to happen again, Capitol Police would be prepared.

“They have done substantial training to make sure that they’re ready.”

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