Ryan Nichols, the one-time animal hero who got the once in a lifetime chance to sit with Ellen DeGeneres on her show, is now looking at a few years in federal prison.
For those who do not remember 30-year-old Nichols, he is the man who went viral back in Aug. 2018 after letting dogs out of a flooded kennel during Hurricane Florence in North Carolina.
But on Friday, Nichols was arrested and booked into Smith County Jail, where he was charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; conspiracy and unlawful entry with a dangerous weapon; assault on a federal officer, using a deadly or dangerous weapon as well as aiding and abetting.
It was his social media that got him caught. According to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC News, videos of Nichols and a friend of his at the riots were given to the FBI by two witnesses.
The videos have since been deleted, but both men can be seen intermingled in the crowd. In one video, Nicolas is seen yelling, “This is not a peaceful protest,” while also encouraging participants to draw their weapons.
“We ain’t done yet! We just got started!” one post was captioned, while another said, “We’re in.”
Some other captions were: “Patriots stood their ground today!” and “We aren’t done yet, either!” “You want to steal our election and not hear us in court? Good! Now you’ll hear our civil unrest!”
Alex Kirk Harkrider, 33, a friend of Nichols, was arrested on Jan. 18 and charged with “violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, conspiracy and unlawful entry with a dangerous weapon, as well as aiding and abetting.”
“We’re in. 2 people killed already,” he apparently said on Snapchat NBC News reported. “We need all the patriots of this country to rally the f— up and fight for our freedom, or it’s gone forever. Give us liberty, or give us death. We won’t stand for it.”
The attorneys for both parties have not commented. But, both lawyers are arguing that there is no evidence “to prove their clients intended to harm police officers or that they had destroyed property,” People reported.
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