COLUMBUS, Ind. — Eight weeks after turning himself in for his alleged involvement during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Jon R. Schaffer has been moved from the Marion County Jail.
Schaffer, who turned 53 Monday, is expected to have a court date set in Washington D.C.’s district court soon. The Edinburgh man has six different federal charges filed against him, including engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building.
Marion County Jail staff said Monday morning that Schaffer had been moved from the facility, but did not confirm his location. Indianapolis FBI Special Agent Steve Secor said Schaffer was still in Indiana as of Monday morning.
The development came six days after Schaffer’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss all alleged charges against him under the claim that the government had violated the Speedy Trial Act. The act requires the government to file an information or an indictment within 30 days of arrest.
Schaffer turned himself in on Jan. 17 in Indiana after an FBI statement of fact was filed for his arrest. The defendant waived his preliminary hearing, as well as his rights to an identity hearing and production of a warrant, back on Jan. 19.
Photos and video from Jan. 6 show Schaffer wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt under a tactical vest with a baseball cap that reads “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member.” In the FBI statement of fact, it alleges Schaffer is seen using a type of bear mace on Capitol police.
The FBI has labeled the Oath Keepers as a far-right militia group that “as a group urged President (Donald) Trump to declare Martial Law in order to prevent the Congress from certifying the Electoral College Results.” Several members of the Oath Keepers have been arrested for their involvement in the riot. The Indiana Oath Keepers have denied Schaffer is a member.
On Jan. 22, U.S. Magistrate for the Southern District of Indiana judge Mark Dinsmore signed an order for Schaffer to appear in Washington D.C.’s district court. In his order, Dinsmore stated that a U.S. marshal would transport Schaffer to the charging district, and that the attorney and the clerk of the court will schedule further proceedings once he’d arrived.
Court documents show that Schaffer is being represented by Marc. J. Victor of Attorneys for Freedom Law Firm. Attorney James B. Nelson, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, is listed as representing the prosecution, court documents show.
Schaffer, a longtime Indiana resident with ties to Columbus, is of moderate fame for his heavy metal band “Iced Earth” and side projects “Demons and Wizards” and “Sons of Liberty.”
