A Keller’s man’s boasting on Facebook about his romp inside the U.S. Capitol with beer can in hand during the January siege led to his arrest on Wednesday, authorities said.
Thomas Paul Conover, 53, was released the same day on misdemeanor charges following a Fort Worth court appearance. He is the 20th North Texas resident to be charged in connection with the Jan. 6 uprising.
The FBI says he flew from Dallas to Washington, D.C., and was among the mob that forced its way into the Capitol building. He documented his activities that day in Facebook photos and videos, federal authorities said.
“After leaving the Capitol, Conover continued taking selfies and posing for photos with his empty beer can,” an FBI agent said in a complaint.
In one video he recorded, Conover said, “I don’t always storm the Capitol of the United States of America, but when I do, I prefer Coors Light,” court records show.
He was charged with entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; and impeding or disrupting the orderly conduct of government business or official functions, records show.
Conover, who reportedly owns a dent repair business, could not be reached for comment. His attorney also couldn’t be reached.
The defendant, who is known as Paul Conover, also posted the following about his activities on the day the Capitol building was breached: “Greetings from Washington, D.C. We took the Capital,” court records show.
Conover, wearing a hooded sweatshirt with “Freedom” written on the back, also recorded several videos from inside the Capitol Rotunda, saying in one, “It’s really kind of cool. I’m glad I came,” the FBI says.
He added that he didn’t want to see damage done to the building, court records say.
The FBI got an online tip in February from someone who claimed to know Conover. The tipster included a screenshot of one of Conover’s Facebook posts in which he brags about “[having] a beer in the capital [sic] today,” court records say.
More than 700 people nationwide have been charged in connection with the insurrection.
Two local defendants who pleaded guilty have already been sentenced to time behind bars.
