Two Valley men plead not guilty to charges connected to Capitol riot

Matthew Perna (L) Stephen Ayres (R)

Two local men facing charges in connection to the January 6 Capitol riot pleaded not guilty to charges Tuesday.

Matthew Perna of Sharon and Stephen Ayres of Champion were charged with witness tampering, two counts of entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct following the insurrection at the Capitol building.

The indictment of the men said they attempted to obstruct members of congress as they were certifying President Joe Biden's election, and destroyed federal property in the process.

A video posted to Perna's Facebook account showed three people discussing their experiences in Washington DC during the riot. Perna is believed to be one of the men speaking in the video.

Perna told investigators that he did not intend to enter the Capitol but was pushed in by the crowd.

Ayres is believed to be in the same video that was also posted to YouTube, titled "It was all ANTIFA breaking into the Capitol 1-6-2021."

The group claimed ANTIFA was the organization that led the attacks and that police let everyone walk in.

The FBI has said agents have found no evidence that ANTIFA was involved in the Capitol invasion.

A status conference for the two has been set for May 7 at 10 a.m.