3rd Michigan Man Charged In Capitol Hill Riot Investigation

DETROIT — A third person from Michigan has been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot, according to federal documents filed Thursday.

James Allen Mels, 56, of Shelby Township, is charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds, according to court documents.

Federal prosecutors' criminal case against Mels was not publicly available Thursday morning.

He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Detroit at 1 p.m. Thursday, according to The Detroit News.

Mels is the third person from Michigan to be charged in connection with the Capitol Hill riot.

Michael Foy, 30, of Wixom is charged with knowingly entering a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; obstruction of law enforcement; forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating or interfering with an officer of the U.S.; and aiding, abetting and obstructing any official proceeding of Congress.

Prosecutors have accused him of being "among the most violent of all participants," saying in a federal complaint that he "swung and appears to have struck officers with his hockey stick no fewer than 10 times" during the riot.

The first person from Michigan charged in connection with the riots was 40-year-old Karl Dresch, who prosecutors said posted a photo of himself holding a Donald Trump flag while standing beside a statue of John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, vice president from 1825 to 1832 who defended slavery.

He faces misdemeanor charges of knowingly entering or remaining in restricted grounds without lawful authority, impeding or disrupting official functions and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to federal documents.

Around 200 people have been charged in the federal investigation into the riot, as federal investigators scour social media posts, videos and tips to track down others, The Associated Press reported.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.