A North Fayette man accused of storming the U.S. Capitol with a baseball bat in support of Donald Trump's election lies appears to be close to a plea deal with the Justice Department.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., this week granted Jorden Mink, 27, a 30-day extension of his case while his lawyer and the government negotiate an agreement.
In several court filings, the parties said they have been in discussions and are "optimistic" that a deal will be reached without need for a trial.
Mr. Mink is among some two dozen people from Western Pennsylvania charged with attacking the Capitol in support of Mr. Trump's baseless claims that the election was stolen.
He is seen in videos using a baseball bat to smash a window at the Capitol and is charged with 10 counts, including destruction of government property and entering a restricted building with a deadly weapon.
The case against him started Jan. 15, 2021, when FBI Pittsburgh got a tip that Mr. Mink was the person seen in videos wielding a bat at the Capitol.
Agents identified him by distinctive tattoos on his neck and fingers. In addition to smashing the window, videos showed him climbing through a broken window into the Capitol, then grabbing a chair and passing it to fellow rioters outside.
The FBI searched Mr. Mink's social media accounts and found an image he'd posted of himself next to the Lincoln Memorial three days before the insurrection, according to an affidavit.
The month before that, he'd posted a photo of himself holding an assault-style rifle with an "I voted" sticker attached to the gun.
A caption on the photo said: "The ballot is stronger than the bullet — Abraham Lincoln. Well ... my magazines will be fully loaded just in case it's not."
First Published: August 19, 2022, 5:54 p.m.
Updated: August 19, 2022, 8:17 p.m.
