Kansas City man charged for alleged participation in U.S. Capitol riot: court records
A Kansas City man has been criminally charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection after he apparently on Facebook documented himself climbing the western wall and posting a photograph from the top.
Carey Jon Walden, 47, faces four federal criminal charges, including disorderly or disruptive conduct and unlawfully entering restricted grounds. He was charged last week following an investigation led by the FBI that tracked his personal social media posts and interviewed him in Kansas City, court records show.
Authorities say they received a public tip that Walden may have participated in the capitol riot a little more than a week after the events unfolded. During a February interview with Walden, federal agents say he admitted to being there and entering the building through a broken window.
Several photographs were shared with investigators — some by Walden, others by an unnamed witness — showing Walden scaling the wall. In one photograph, where supporters of former President Donald Trump can be seen gathered on the lawn, he posted the caption: “I had just climbed the west wall lol”
Walden allegedly provided a written statement to investigators, saying he traveled to Washington D.C. from Kansas City with a busload of other Trump supporters. He pointed out the places he visited on a photocopy map of the grounds while being interviewed by investigators, court records said.
He claimed in his written statement to investigators that he never broke anything while inside the building and was never asked by law enforcement to leave. He also described giving fist-bumps and ‘Devil-horns’ to a SWAT line.
Walden estimated he spent only a few minutes in the building and left after he heard someone had been shot.
More than 400 people across the country have been charged in connection to the Capitol breach. The breach was part of an unsuccessful effort to thwart the election victory of President Joe Biden.
Over the past few months, several other Kansas City area residents have been taken to federal court with charges related to the insurrection. Among them have been members of the far-right Proud Boys, who have gained national attention for their role in the Capitol breach, including three accused in a larger conspiracy plot.
