An active-duty soldier — who was separated from the service a day before the FBI arrested him Tuesday at an Army base in Hawaii — was charged for repeatedly striking a police officer with a flag during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, according to court records released this week.
Alexander Cain Poplin, 31, was arrested at Schofield Barracks this week after the FBI received a tip a month after the riot implicating the former soldier in the assault. Poplin was not in the military at the time of the riot, but later joined the Army after earlier service in the National Guard, Army officials said.
An Army official told Military.com on Thursday that Poplin was separated from the service a day before his arrest despite being apprehended on the base. The Justice Department charged him with three misdemeanor offenses, including entering restricted grounds, disorderly conduct and engaging in physical violence.
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“Pvt. Alexander Cain Poplin served in the Army National Guard as a 91J quartermaster and equipment repairer from December 2012 to December 2018, and obtained the rank of specialist,” Bryce Dubee, a spokesperson for the Army, told Military.com on Thursday. “He later began active-duty service as an 11B infantryman in April 2023 and was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division in September 2023. Pvt. Poplin has had no deployments…
