ST. MARY'S COUNTY, Md. — Editor's Note: The video above is from Feb. 16, 2021.
A Capitol riot defendant awaiting trial on a felony charge narrowly avoided having his bond revoked after allegedly assaulting multiple people, including a police officer, at a Maryland bar.
According to an arrest report filed by police in Leonardtown, Maryland, John Andries, 36, became heavily intoxicated at the Action Lounge & Billiards and proceeded to pull a woman’s hair and make other patrons uncomfortable. When he allegedly refused to leave the establishment, police were called. During his arrest, officers say, Andries repeatedly kicked a sergeant attempting to place him in a patrol car.
A Maryland judge released Andries on bond in connection with the Leonardtown arrest. On Tuesday, he appeared in federal court for a hearing on separate charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Andries, a military veteran, was indicted in by a federal grand jury last February on five counts connected to the assault on the Capitol, including one felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding. In charging documents, prosecutors said he could be seen entering the Capitol through a broken window before coming face-to-face with U.S. Capitol Police officers. At that point, they said, security footage shows him inches from officers, waving his arms up and down and seemingly egging on the mob.
A magistrate judge granted Andries pretrial release last year with no significant restrictions. He was ordered to check in with pretrial services regularly, stay out of D.C. except for court business or medical appointments at the VA and not to possess illegal firearms.
Following his arrest in Maryland, prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to revoke his bond, arguing his arrest demonstrated his “unwillingness to abide by this Court’s order and his disregard for this Court’s authority and the rue of law more broadly.”
Contreras’ attorney, federal public defender Maria Jacob, told Contreras she thought there were conditions of release short of detention that could ensure Andries’ and the public’s safety. Jacob told Contreras that Andries had been receiving counseling and had been “overwhelmed” by the publicity in the Jan. 6 cases. Andries himself apologized, telling the judge he was ashamed and his behavior was “abhorrent.”
Contreras decided to keep Andries out of jail and ordered him onto GPS monitoring and a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. He also ordered Andries not to use alcohol and to undergo regular substance testing.
Andries’ next court appearance was set for May 17 at 9:30 a.m.
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