A Missouri Capitol riot defendant charged with assaulting police and placed on home lockdown pending trial will now be allowed to go to work and attend church, a federal judge has ruled.
Jared Luther Owens, of Farmington in St. Francois County — who prosecutors say “repeatedly assaulted officers” — said he needed to be able to leave his house in order to return to work and go to church on Sundays.
On Friday, Judge Randolph D. Moss, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, granted his request. The judge said Owens would be allowed to leave his home between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday “solely for the purposes of working” and from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Sundays to go to church.
Both exceptions, Moss said, are subject to pre-approval by Pretrial Services and “subject to any conditions that Pretrial Services deems are necessary to assure compliance.”
Owens was arrested in October along with Jason William Wallis, of St. Clair in Franklin County, on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The men were charged with obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assault on law enforcement with a deadly or dangerous weapon, both felonies.
Owens and Wallis also face six misdemeanor offenses, including entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds.
After Owens was arrested in the Eastern District of Missouri on the federal charges, Magistrate Judge Joseph S. Dueker ordered that he be detained. Owens asked for a review of that order, and on Jan. 11, Moss granted Owens’ pretrial release but placed restrictions on him, including 24-hour-a-day lockdown at his home and GPS monitoring. Wallis, who also had been detained after his arrest, was released on Feb. 16 and restricted to round-the-clock lockdown at his residence along with GPS monitoring.
In March, Owens filed a motion asking the court to modify his conditions of release. Owens’ motion said he “has been compliant with all pre-trial release conditions to date” and “calls in every night and submits urine samples on request.” He also “calls in every Monday to Pre-Trial Services,” it said, “and the officer has been to his home twice.”
“Defendant is requesting to be able to work at his previous construction job in St. Louis, PCX Construction,” the motion said. “Defendant is also requesting to be able to attend church weekly, on Sundays. Defendant has been compliant with court orders to date and is not a danger to the community.”
The government strongly objected to Owens’ request.
“The severity of the pending charges, the overwhelming evidence of Owens’ actions on January 6, 2021, and Owens’ statements that he would entertain future violence against law enforcement, are evidence that the current limits on his out-of-home activities should be continued,” the government said in a motion filed March 15.
On Jan. 6, the motion said, Owens approached a line of officers who had created a barricade at the top of a set of stairs on the Capitol’s northeast corner.
“Owens, and his co-defendant Wallis, lifted one end of a barricade and shoved the barricade into the line of officers,” it said. “The officers raised their arms and hands in defense to keep the barricade from striking their heads and torsos, but the officers’ hands took the blow.”
After Owens breached the Capitol, the motion said, he approached another line of officers.
“Owens broke through the police line and pushed another officer up against a wall,” it said. “After witnessing the assault, Officer D.T. delivered strikes to Owens and, after a struggle, was able to put handcuffs on Owens. As Officer D.T. performed a search, he discovered that Owens had a folding knife in his right front pocket.”
The government said in its motion that video evidence from Capitol Police and other parties, along with text messages Owens sent after the riot, “provided overwhelming evidence against Owens.” His actions, the motion said, “make him a serious risk of danger to the community.” It also said Owens’ history “includes multiple felony convictions for drug-related offenses” and “failure to comply with past court orders of probation.”
The government said Owens’ text messages showed “that he was willing to engage in future violence.”
For example, it said, on Jan. 7, 2021, he texted: “We had to fight the f— out of these cops. DC capitol cops . . . We f—– did and we will f—– do it again.” Another Jan. 7 text said: “I’m coming home baby. But I’m coming back if I have to. . .” And another: “Not everyone could make it. But I bet they find a way next time.”
As for Owens’ request to leave his house on Sunday mornings to attend church, the government noted that according to the church website, he could watch the services online.
“In short, Owens does not explain how these additional activities outside of his home are necessary or can be accomplished without increasing the danger to the community,” the motion said.
Owens filed a response to the government’s opposition on April 17. It said he had proven that he’d complied with his current bond conditions and that “there is no proof that Defendant assaulted ‘officers.’”
His response also said that Owens’ extended family had been helping pay his bills but was unable to continue doing so.
“Defendant has many bills that are late and he has had to use all of his credit cards to pay for his family’s expenses,” Owens’ response said. “The job offered to Defendant provides health insurance for Defendant’s family if he is able to go back to work.”
He is not able to apply for state assistance, it said, “because his wife makes over the threshold required for assistance.”
“Defendant was traditionally the sole provider of his family and provided insurance,” Owens’ response said. “His wife is currently working but it is not enough to cover their bills. Defendant has a small child as well.”
The next court hearing for Owens and Wallis is scheduled for May 6.