NEW ORLEANS — A 27-year-old Covington man has pleaded guilty to a felony charge for his involvement in the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol, the FBI announced Monday.
Colby Purkel, who was originally arrested and charged along with his father, 51-year-old Willard Colby Purkel, will be sentenced on August. 1.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that Colby Purkel pleaded guilty to civil disorder, which is a felony.
Willard Purkel’s trial date has not been set.
According to court documents, the Purkels went to the east side of the U.S. Capitol on January 6 and around 3 p.m., joined a group of rioters who physically forced their way into the Capitol as law enforcement was trying to shut the doors.
Protesters were there to block the results of the presidential election.
The court documents said that Colby Purkel was among a group that “lent his strength, to a crowd that managed to push its way inside. Purkel and his father, along with others, were eventually removed from the Capitol.
The two were arrested in Louisiana in November. At the time, they were ordered to turn over any passport they might have and to surrender their firearms as a condition of bond.
The FBI said that a raid of the Purkels’ residence uncovered several firearms, which were allowed to be turned over to family members
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