WASHINGTON — More than two months after turning himself in to police, a hearing was held for Jon R. Schaffer on Friday.
Schaffer, 53, of Edinburgh, was scheduled to appear before U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui on March 19 via teleconference for his initial appearance/detention hearing, the case’s criminal docket showed.
According to the criminal docket, Schaffer was originally scheduled to appear before the court on March 18, but was unable to attend due to processing at a D.C. jail. Schaffer was being held without bond as of Thursday, the docket states.
Faruqui’s courtroom personnel declined to release any information from Friday’s hearing, but said that court documents on it would be filed soon.
Marion County Jail staff told The Republic on Monday that Schaffer had been moved from the jail, but did not disclose his location. According to court documents, Schaffer’s arrest warrant was executed on March 18.
Schaffer initially turned himself in to Indiana law enforcement on Jan. 17 after an FBI statement of fact was filed for his arrest. He waived his preliminary hearing, as well as his rights to an identity hearing and production of a warrant, on Jan. 19 and was being held at the Marion County Jail by the U.S. marshal up until this week.
The statement of fact alleges Schaffer used a type of bear repellent against Capitol police on Jan. 6. Photos and video from the insurrection show Schaffer inside the Capitol building wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt under a tactical vest with a baseball cap that reads “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member.”
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.”
The Indiana Oath Keepers have denied Schaffer is a member.
A motion to dismiss the complaint was filed by Schaffer’s attorneys on March 9; claiming that the government had violated the Speedy Trial Act. The Speedy Trial Act requires the government to file an information or an indictment within 30 days of arrest.
Schaffer isn’t the first suspect involved in the events of Jan. 6 who has waited weeks for a hearing, as the Justice Department and courts have been overloaded with cases to start the year.
According to POLITICO, the D.C. federal court recorded 290 cases in its criminal docket for major crimes last year, but as of March 10 it was at 199 for 2021. Similarly, the magistrate’s docket was at nearly 300 on March 10 compared to last year’s total number of 261 cases filed last year.
It’s estimated that about 800 individuals were involved during the Capitol riot.
Schaffer is a longtime Indiana resident who has ties to Columbus. He is of moderate fame for his heavy metal band “Iced Earth” and side projects “Demons and Wizards” and “Sons of Liberty.”
