LONGVIEW, Texas — A federal judge on Monday denied pretrial release for a Longview man being held on charges in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Ryan Taylor Nichols, 31, is in a Washington, D.C., jail facing five felony and three misdemeanor charges connected to the January riots, according to documents in the case.
In a hearing Monday afternoon, Judge Thomas F. Hogan denied Nichols’ request to be released pending trial after a more than four-hour hearing in which prosecutors and Nichols' attorney presented arguments and evidence. Hogan raised concerns that in post-riot Facebook videos and posts, Nichols referred to the event as the second American revolution and said he stands for violence.
“Actually, the evidence is overwhelming — when you look at it objectively — against Mr. Nichols,” Hogan said.
Nichols appeared in person in the D.C. courtroom. Another East Texan charged in the riots, 34-year-old Alex Kirk Harkrider of Carthage, took part in the hearing via teleconference. In April, Hogan ordered Harkrider released on house arrest pending trial.
Read more from our newspaper partners, the Longview News-Journal.