Southern Indiana man arrested for Jan. 6 charges
ROCKPORT, Ind. (WISH) — Federal agents have arrested a southern Indiana man for joining rioters inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Paul Kovacik was arrested in Rockport earlier in June.
Federal agents say Kovacik admitted taking a train to Washington, D.C., then staying the night at a hotel in the city on Jan. 6.
They say he also admitted entering the Capitol and taking several videos while inside, and shared those with investigators.
Kovacik also told federal agents that, while on the second floor of the Capitol, he heard a commotion which turned out to be the deadly shooting of Ashli Babbitt.
One of the videos shows Kovacik with Zachary Alam, the so-called “Helmet Boy” who used a helmet to smash a window in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Kovacik’s video shows Alam “throwing a velvet stanchion rope over a railing.”
Kovacik faces four criminal charges:
- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds
- Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds
- Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building
- Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building