Day: July 8, 2024

Washington— An actor who played a street-brawling newsman in the movie “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and a pizzeria owner in the television series “Bob’s Burgers” pleaded guilty on Monday to interfering with police officers trying to protect the U.S. Capitol from a mob’s attack.

Jay Johnston, 55, of Los Angeles, faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison after pleading guilty to civil disorder, a felony. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols is scheduled to sentence Johnston on Oct. 7.

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The estimated sentencing guidelines for Johnston recommend a prison term ranging from eight to 14 months, but the judge isn’t bound by that term of his plea agreement with prosecutors.

Johnston’s attorney, Stanley Woodward, told his client not to comment to reporters as they left the courtroom.

Johnston, who was arrested last June, is one of more than 1,400 people charged with federal crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Video footage captured Johnston pushing against police and helping rioters who attacked officers guarding an entrance to the Capitol in a tunnel on the Lower West Terrace, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit. Johnston held a stolen police shield over his head and passed it to other rioters during the attack on Jan. 6, 2021, the affidavit says.

Johnston “was close to the entrance to the tunnel, turned back and signaled for other rioters to come towards the entrance,” the agent wrote.

Johnston was the voice of the character Jimmy Pesto on Fox’s “Bob’s Burgers.” The Daily Beast reported in 2021 that Johnston was “banned” from the animated show after the Capitol attack.

Johnston appeared on “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” an HBO sketch comedy series that starred Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. His credits also include small parts on the television show “Arrested Development” and in the movie “Anchorman,” starring Will Ferrell.

A court filing accompanying Johnston’s plea agreement says he used his cellphone to record rioters as they broke through barricades and sent police officers retreating. Facing the crowd on the Lower West Terrace, Johnston pounded his fist together and pointed. Another rioter handed him a bottle of water, which he used to help others flush out chemicals from their eyes.

After passing the stolen shield, Johnson joined other rioters in collectively pushing against police officers guarding the tunnel entrance. He left the tunnel minutes later, according to the agreement signed by Johnston.

Three current or former associates of Johnston identified him as a riot suspect from photos that the FBI published online, according to the agent. The FBI said one of those associates provided investigators with a text message in which Johnston acknowledged being at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

“The news has presented it as an attack. It actually wasn’t. Thought it kind of turned into that. It was a mess. Got maced and tear gassed and I found it quite untastic,” Johnston wrote, according to the FBI.

Also on Monday, a Texas woman pleaded guilty to assaulting a Metropolitan Police Department officer during the Jan. 6 riot. Video captured Dana Jean Bell cursing at officers inside the Capitol and grabbing an officer’s baton, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.

Bell, 65, of Princeton, Texas, also was captured on video assaulting a local television journalist outside the Capitol that day. The FBI affidavit says Bell appeared to reach out and try to push or grab the journalist, who worked for the Fox affiliate in Washington, D.C.

Bell faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly is scheduled to sentence her on Oct. 17. Her estimated sentencing guidelines recommend a term of imprisonment ranging from two years to two years and six months.

Bell and her attorney, Joe Shearin, declined to comment as they left the courtroom.

(NewsNation) — Tropical Storm Beryl sped across Texas on Monday, leaving four dead and almost 3 million people and businesses without power. The storm is now headed northeast, threatening to carve a harsh path over several more states in the coming days.

“Houston area conditions are gradually improving there, the winds are starting to come down, the rainfall has stopped, but there’s still flash flood warnings in place, still high water in many places, power’s out, damage to trees and powerlines is still a dangerous situation there. But in terms of the active weather, our focus is now shifting northward and eastward,” National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said.

Brennan joined “NewsNation Now” to discuss the latest developments from the storm’s destruction, saying it is likely to spur some tornado warnings.

“We’re expecting 5 to 10 inches of rain, the potential for significant flash flooding. We’re also seeing the potential for tornadoes here and these rain bands to the east of Beryl’s circulation center in the vicinity of the Louisiana-Texas border right now,” Brennan said.

Acting Texas Gov. Dan Patrick is warning residents to stay indoors even after the storm has passed their area.

“We’re cautioning the people there, as we did in southeast Texas, to not drive because it may seem like there’s not a lot of rain where you are, and then you drive a few miles, and now suddenly you’ve hit six or eight inches of rain and flooding. And then you’re stuck, and we have to come and rescue you, and that puts your life and the rescuer’s life at risk,” Patrick told NewsNation.

Patrick says, according to the latest information, 2.7 million people are without power. State officials plan to address the most vulnerable groups first and then work to restore the circuits that affect the most people.

“We asked people just to help other people. I’m not worried about that because Texans are great and doing that and so for the people that don’t have air conditioning, if they have a senior citizen or anyone who can’t stand the heat, take him to a public place. We have shelters opening up. So make sure they’re taking care,” Patrick said.

Hours after Beryl swept ashore as a Category 1 hurricane, it weakened into a tropical storm, far less powerful than the Category 5 behemoth that tore a deadly path of destruction through parts of Mexico and the Caribbean last weekend.

Houston and Harris County officials said power crews would be sent into the area to restore service as quickly as possible, an urgent priority for homes also left without air conditioning in the middle of summer. Temperatures, which had cooled slightly with the storm, were expected to reach back into the 90s as early as Tuesday.