Sarasota Herald Tribune: “An Englewood man belonging to the Florida Chapter of the Oath Keepers organization who was charged with storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 says he is struggling to cope with jail and has asked a federal judge to reconsider a ruling that would keep him there until the start of his trial. Graydon Young, 54, has been in jail following his arrest on Feb. 15. Young ‘had been duped by an organization he didn’t fully understand,’ defense attorney Robert Foley argued in court. In a motion filed earlier this week, Young’s attorney said his client should be released because of his ‘strong character’ and the ‘psychological burdens’ he has endured since being jailed. Young is described by his attorney as a ‘family man’ who has never been jailed before. ‘The psychological burdens of being detained pending trial are very real for Mr. Young,’ defense attorney Robert Foley wrote in his motion. ‘Since he has no previous experience with the criminal justice system, being detained is taking an extremely high toll on his mental well-being.'”
“On Jan. 6, Young and nine other members of the Florida Chapter of the Oath Keepers, a large but loosely organized far-right militia, ‘planned with each other, and with others known and unknown, to forcibly enter the Capitol,’ according to an indictment filed in the U.S. District Court. The effort was meant to ‘stop, delay and hinder the Congressional proceedings occurring that day.’ The group, which includes his sister Laura Steele, ‘prepared themselves for battle before heading to the Capitol by equipping themselves with communication devices and donning reinforced vests, helmets and goggles,’ prosecutors said. All nine face charges for conspiring to obstruct the U.S. Congress’ certification of the 2020 presidential election results by storming the Capitol building on Jan. 6. Young, who served seven years in the U.S. Navy Reserve, is also being charged with destroying evidence. He deleted his social media accounts – where he posted photos and videos of the siege – in the days following the Capitol riot.”