BATON ROUGE, La. — A military veteran charged with attacking police officers with a baton during a mob’s Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was ordered released from custody on Tuesday, a day after his arrest.
A federal prosecutor had argued for the pretrial detention of Edward Richmond Jr., a former U.S. Army soldier who was convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting a handcuffed civilian in Iraq approximately two decades ago.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyman Thornton III said authorities found an AR-15 rifle and ammunition when they searched Richmond’s Louisiana home this week. Richmond was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his criminal history, the prosecutor said.
Thornton said Richmond poses a flight risk, is a threat to the community and has a history of violence, including a “very aggressive posture toward law enforcement.”
“I think Jan. 6 was a culmination of deep-seated anger toward law enforcement,” Thornton said.
However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Erin Wilder-Doomes ordered Richmond’s release from custody after a detention hearing attended by relatives, including his 16-year-old son. Wilder-Doomes said Richmond has community ties and “appears to be a loving father.”
Defense attorney John McLindon said Richmond hasn’t been “hiding or running” in the three years since the Capitol riot.
“My client knew about this problem, coming up on two years now, and he has not fled,” McLindon…
