“Defendant Jacob Anthony Chansley stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. In that respect, he was like thousands of others that day. But he stood out to the entire world because of his ‘unmistakable outfit’ of ‘a horned coyote-tail headdress; red, white, and blue face paint; gloves; and no shirt. In addition, he had armed himself with a serious weapon: ‘a six-foot pole with an American flag ziptied to the shaft and a metal spearhead fixed to the top.’ Mr Chansley has completed his prison sentence and much of his term of supervised release. Now, he has moved for the return of his property seized and still held by the government, including his spear and helmet.”
“Since the government has not established that it still needs these items as evidence and has not sought their forfeiture, the Court will GRANT Mr Chansley’s motion,” wrote DC Circuit Judge Royce Lamberth on Monday, finally releasing the iconic headgear and spear from government custody.
