On Monday, CBS News' Scott MacFarlane reported on new details revealed by federal prosecutors in the pretrial proceedings of former Rocky Mount, Virginia police officer Thomas Robertson, who is accused of felony disruption of an official proceeding and misdemeanor disorderly conduct for his role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
According to prosecutors, Robertson was "armed with a large wooden stick" and used it to "block the path of a line of Metropolitan Police Department officers who were trying to control the crowd and provide backup."
Robertson, who was fired from the department alongside fellow Rocky Mount Officer Jacob Fracker after both were spotted at the riot, got into further trouble after being granted pretrial release when authorities found he had subsequently stockpiled 34 guns at a local firearms dealership despite a federal judge's order not to be armed. Investigators also found a partially assembled pipe bomb in his home, inside a box labeled "booby trap," and several boxes of ammunition.
There is no indication Robertson feels any remorse for his involvement in the Capitol attack. In the days following his charges, he posted to GunBroker.com, "They are trying to teach us a lesson. They have. But its definitely not the intended lesson. I have learned that if you peacefully protest than you will be arrested, fired, be put on a no fly list, have your name smeared and address released by the FBI so every loon in the US can send you hate mail. I have learned very well that if you dip your toe into the Rubicon. . . . cross it. Cross it hard and violent and play for all the marbles."
