Jeremy Roberts booking mug. Marion Co. Sheriff's Office.
Screenshot of Roberts' Twitter account.
Roberts at a rally held earlier this year.
By Brad Smith
SALEM,
Ore. – A right-wing extremist with a criminal past turned himself in to the Oregon
State Police for his alleged role in a violent antigovernment riot at Salem
Dec. 21.
According
to the OSP, Jeremy Roberts, 40, Albany, Ore., turned himself in to the OSP on
Dec. 27. He was booked into the Marion County Jail on the following charges:
·
Criminal
Mischief
·
Disorderly
Conduct
·
Assault
·
Harassment
·
Probation
Violation Warrant
The arrest
stems from a violent protest staged by right wing extremists on Dec. 21.
According
to the OSP, at approximately 8:30 a.m.,
a group of people attempted to enter and protest inside the Oregon State
Capitol. The Oregon State Capitol was closed due to COVID precautions. The
Oregon State Capitol had set up televisions outside of the building for people
to monitor the proceedings inside. OSP troopers had checked and secured the doors
to the Capitol. A door on the northwest corner of the building was opened by a
person exiting the building. Several protesters entered the vestibule
area. There they were contacted by troopers and asked to leave. As troopers attempted to keep them from entering
the main area of the Capitol, the altercation became physical (pushing). A
protester sprayed some kind of chemical irritant (mace /OC / bear spray) into
the vestibule. Troopers used inert pepper balls to keep the crowd back and
Salem Police Dept. officers were able to keep the crowd contained in the
vestibule.
OSP troopers and Salem police gave everyone in the vestibule several warnings to
leave or they would be arrested for trespassing. At approximately 10:30 a.m.,
a protester again sprayed a chemical irritant at police. Police arrested Ryan
Lyles for felon in possession of body armor and unlawful use of mace. Protesters also deployed a device, which
emitted smoke during the engagement.
Two people
remained in the vestibule and were arrested: Ronald Vanvlack and Jerry Dyerson and
charged with Criminal Trespass and Disorderly Conduct.
At
approximately 1:30 p.m., the crowd again attempted to gain entry through a door
on the west side of the Capitol. The
window to the door was broken, but the building was not accessed. Police arrested Jeremiah Pruitt for Criminal
Mischief and Disorderly Conduct.
Roberts
was also identified as a person that attempted to gain access through the west
door and an attack on two reporters. He left the Capitol building and was
sought after by law enforcement until he surrendered last Sunday.
According
to court records, in August 2019,
Roberts pleaded guilty to menacing in Marion County and was sentenced to a week
in jail and two years of probation. Roberts punched a wall above the head
of his girlfriend at the time, a probable cause statement reads.
Records also show that Roberts has a criminal history that includes assaulting law
enforcement officers, criminal mischief, being an inmate in possession of a
weapon and assaulting another inmate. His records stretch back over a few
decades and there are allegations that he took part in a riot at a juvenile
detention facility years ago.
The OSP is already bracing for another round of potentially violent protests that might occur over the New Year holiday.
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