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WASHINGTON -- A former Parkersburg City Councilman had his first preliminary hearing in Washington, D.C., on his criminal charges in relation to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capital on Wednesday.
In a hearing Wednesday before federal Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Eric Barber, 41, had his first appearance in Washington and had a Federal Public Defender appointed to represent him.
Barber will remain on pretrial release with the government's requested standard conditions for supervision. He was released on $10,000 unsecured bond March 3 following an appearance in U.S. District Court in Charleston.
On Jan. 6, protesters who had attended a rally in support of then-President Donald Trump marched to the U.S. Capitol, where Congress was meeting to certify the results of the Nov. 3 general election, won by President Joe Biden.
Protesters forced their way into the Capitol, causing members of Congress to be evacuated and delaying the certification for hours. Five people died during the chaos.
Following the riot, Barber said he was in Washington during the protests and that he walked to the Capitol building, climbed the steps and looked inside the building but stayed outside while protesters stormed the building.
However, a criminal complaint filed March 3 alleged additional actions by Barber, leading to charges of entering restricted buildings or grounds, disorderly conduct and theft. Prepared by the FBI, the complaint included information and images allegedly showing Barber inside the Capitol building.
Contact Tyler Bennett at tbennett@newsandsentinel.com