Jury deliberates case of East Liverpool man accused of punching officers during Capitol riot

WASHINGTON - Jury deliberations continue Wednesday in Washington DC in the case of an East Liverpool man accused of leading assaults on five officers during an incursion at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, while Congress was certifying Joseph Biden as the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election.
Since the case of Kenneth Thomas went to the jury early last week, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich has been responding to questions submitted by the jury foreperson.
Thomas is charged with obstruction of Law Enforcement during a civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, and aiding and abetting, five felony counts related to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, three counts relating to disorderly conduct and violence in a restricted building or ground, and two misdemeanor counts relating to disorderly conduct and violence in a Capitol building or grounds.
Court documents state Thomas was on the Upper West Terrace on January 6, 2021, where police body camera footage showed him advancing toward a line of law enforcement and pushing against their shields.
Government authorities say footage showed Thomas punching and striking the officers with his fist and forearm at least twice.

When officers started to dispel the crowd of rioters from the steps, Thomas allegedly turned toward rioters and ordered them to "hold the line" against advancing officers, repeating this several times.
Court documents state that in later interviews, law enforcement officers confirmed the attack and stated the individual "was one of the first to come in and start hitting and pushing officers on the line."
Jurors are considering evidence which includes exhibits culled from 30,000 pages gathered from Thomas's Facebook page, as well as podcasts uploaded by Thomas, who claims to have acted in self-defense.