WASHINGTON -- A Bentonville man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to five charges in connection with the U.S. Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2021.
Nathan Earl Hughes, 34, of Bentonville, is accused of trying to wrest a riot shield from a police officer who was guarding the Lower West Terrace tunnel.
Hughes is charged with assaulting a federal officer and interfering with police during a civil disorder, in addition to three misdemeanor counts.
A teleconference hearing was held Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C. It was an arraignment for Hughes and a status hearing for his four co-defendants, who were indicted by a grand jury before Hughes.
Hughes' attorney, William L. Shipley of Kailua, Hawaii, said he had questions during Tuesday's hearing about the timing of his client's arrest and the search of his home.
"I raised the question of the untimely production of discovery and that I intend to look closely at the search warrant since more than 30 months passed between the J6 and when the Govt searched his house," Shipley said in a text message after the hearing. "Warrants are supposed to be based on 'timely' information and I'll be looking closely at the nature of the information that justified a search so long after the alleged crimes."
Hughes and his co-defendants remain free on "personal recognizance," according to the court docket.
Hughes was arrested Aug. 30 in Fayetteville and was released from the Washington County jail on a $5,000 bond.
The next status hearing in the case is set for Nov. 16. It will also be via teleconference so the defendants won't have to travel to Washington.
The other four defendants include Jay James Johnston of Los Angeles, an actor who voiced the character Jimmy Pesto Sr. on the animated Fox show "Bob's Burgers"; Alan Michael St. Onge of Brevard, N.C.; Kyle Kumer of Kansas City, Mo.; and William Stover of Elizabethtown, Ky.
Hughes is the only one of the five defendants facing a charge of assaulting a federal officer under U.S. Code 18:111(a)(1).
Shipley has represented about 35 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, including five members of the Proud Boys. He also represented Jacob Chansley, also known as the QAnon Shaman, post sentencing.