Inexplicably, Nathan Donald Pelham was facing just four misdemeanor charges for disorderly conduct, parading, picketing, and shit... when he took some pot shots at local sherriffs last week.
United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas
A United States Capitol breach defendant who allegedly fired several shots towards law enforcement days before his first court appearance has been charged with a federal firearm crime, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Nathan Donald Pelham, 40, of Greenville, Texas, was charged via criminal complaint by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Toliver on Wednesday, April 19.
On Tuesday, April 11, Mr. Pelham was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with four misdemeanor counts stemming from his alleged participation in the January 6th breach of the U.S. Capitol building.
On Wednesday, April 12, 2023, an FBI agent informed Mr. Pelham he had been charged by federal prosecutors in DC and instructed him to self-surrender the following Monday, April 17. He agreed to do so.
That evening, the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office initiated a welfare check at Mr. Pelham’s residence in response to a call from a relative, who advised deputies that Mr. Pelham had a gun. When they arrived, the house was dark. Deputies activated their emergency lights, and Mr. Pelham’s minor daughter exited the home. For her safety, she was placed into a HCSO patrol car. Shortly thereafter, deputies they heard gunshots emanating from the residence and took cover.
About an hour later, at approximately 9:38 p.m., Mr. Pelham – a previously convicted felon – walked onto the porch and allegedly fired towards several deputies, who could be heard on body-worn camera video noting bullets “whiz” by them. A deputy instructed Mr. Pelham to put his gun down, but he continued to waive it until re-entering his home. At 10:46 p.m., Mr. Pelham again exited the residence and fired multiple rounds.
Law enforcement departed at 12:21 a.m. without any injuries.
A subsequent search of Mr. Pelham’s home revealed a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol and four boxes of ammunition, as well as several 9mm sized holes in the walls.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of wrongdoing, not evidence. Mr. Pelham is presumed innocent of all the charges against him until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in federal prison on the felony gun charge and three years on the misdemeanor charges. He has been ordered detained pending trial in both cases.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation into the firearm incident. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Brasher of the Northern District of Texas is prosecuting the firearms case with the help of Special Counsel Brendan Ballou.
I’d describe the fact that he wasn’t gunned down as inexplicable if it weren’t so goddamned explicable...
NBC News
One of the law enforcement officers said that one gunshot “came in so close proximity to myself that I could hear the distinct whistling sound as the bullet traveled by me and then strike a metal object to my right side,” according to a court filing.
The new weapon charge against Pelham will likely give federal authorities a quick way to keep him locked up before his trial. He could face other charges related to the shooting down the line.
Court records show that Pelham waived a detention hearing and a federal magistrate judge ordered him detained.
The initial charges against Pelham included disorderly conduct, and parading, demonstrating or picketing at the Capitol. He appeared in at least one photo from the riot donning a hat with a logo associated with the Proud Boys, the FBI said.
I can’t believe this dude was free in the first place considering he was busted trying to flee the country in March 2021...
The New York Times
Last week, Mr. Pelham, 40, was charged in Federal District Court in Washington with four misdemeanors for illegally entering the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, through a door on the Senate side of the building and remaining inside for a little more than seven minutes. At the time, court papers say, Mr. Pelham was wearing a pair of goggles, a neck gaiter and a baseball hat emblazoned with a logo associated with the Proud Boys, a far-right group.
Two months later, he was stopped by border officials in Port Huron, Mich., trying to enter Canada. He eventually confessed that he had been inside the Capitol during the attack.
That prompted an investigation that was meant to culminate during the day on Monday with his surrender to the F.B.I., according to federal prosecutors in Texas. But that same evening, one of Mr. Pelham’s relatives called the sheriff’s office in Hunt County, Texas, and alerted deputies that Mr. Pelham was brandishing a gun.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Pelham is facing four misdemeanor charges for the part he is accused of playing in the breach of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
Authorities said Pelham’s family called the sheriff’s office for a welfare check, telling dispatchers he had a gun. When officers arrived, they found the house was dark. After officers turned on their emergency lights, Pelham’s juvenile daughter exited the home, according to the news release. Officers then heard gunshots from the house and took cover.
(snip)
A later search of Pelham’s home turned up a 9 millimeter Smith & Wesson handgun and four boxes of ammunition, as well as bullet holes in the walls.
Pelham, who is a convicted felon and therefore is not legally allowed to own firearms, was charged via criminal complaint, according to federal prosecutors. He made his first court appearance on the gun charges Thursday. If convicted of the gun charges, Pelham could spend up to 15 years in prison on top of a potential sentence of three years on the misdemeanor charges related to the Capitol Building breach.
Typically, this moron grossly overestimated his own intelligence...
The FBI continues to seek the public’s assistance in identifying individuals who participated in unlawful conduct during the Capitol Insurrection. New images are added frequently...
If you have information about individuals who participated in the largest assault on police officers in U.S. history at the Capitol Riot on January 6th, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or leave a tip online at the FBI’s website.
If you just can’t get enough information about the terrorists who tried to usurp our democracy, then these links are for you…
Department of Justice Capitol Breach Cases
FBI US Capitol Violence Most Wanted
Insider Searchable Table
George Washington University Spreadsheet — Updated Daily
NPR — Updated Database
seditiontracker.com
ProPublica Capitol Riot videos lifted from Parler
KUMU — Capitol Riot Insurrectionist Networks
Just Security — January 6th Clearinghouse
The Trace — Capitol Riot Gun Arrests
USA Today January 6 Capitol Riot Arrests
Sedition Hunters - Sedition Insiders Photo Gallery
Politico January 6 Insurrection Sentencing Tracker