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SALT LAKE CITY — A man from Utah has been found guilty of seven felonies for actions at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Odin Meacham, 30, of the town of Myton in Duchesne County, was found guilty of civil disorder, two counts of assaulting or resisting law enforcement with a weapon, one count of assaulting or resisting law enforcement, engaging in physical violence on restricted ground with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct on restricted grounds with a dangerous weapon and entering and remaining on restricted grounds with a dangerous weapon. The verdict was administered Monday by U.S. District Judge John D. Bates.
"His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of Congress called to ascertain and validate the electoral college vote for the 2020 presidential election," according to a news release from the U.S Department of Justice.
The statement says Meacham, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, drove from Utah to Washington D.C., to attend a rally with thousands of others who eventually marched to the U.S. Capitol Building.
It says he was "at the forefront of the mob illegally massing" at the lower west terrace when he rushed toward officers with a wooden flagpole which he "slammed" against an officer. The flagpole snapped in half from the force, and then he continued swinging it toward officers, hitting a bike rack they were using to protect themselves, according to the release.
Meacham also picked up a black metal pole that he threw at an officer, the statement says, and shouted "lean in" when an officer asked him and others to "please step back."
According to the Department of Justice, Meacham "raged at the line of officers," using profanities.
Meacham was arrested on May 15, 2023. He is one of over 1,450 people charged with crimes related to Jan. 6, 2021.
He will be sentenced on Sept. 26.
Correction: A typo in a previous version referred to the town of Myron. It's Myton.
