South Carolina man wanted after taking selfie with John C. Calhoun statue during siege of U.S. Capitol
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WCBD) – Federal Court Documents show that a case has been brought against Andrew Hatley, a South Carolina man accused of traveling to Washington, D.C. and participating in the January 6 violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
According to the documents, Hatley took a photo of himself and another individual in front of a John C. Calhoun statue in the Capitol building.
Calhoun, a South Carolinian infamous for his pro-slavery policies, served as a Congressman and the nation’s seventh Vice President. A statue of his likeness was removed from Marion Square over the Summer of 2020, following a racial reckoning in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
Hatley apparently shared the photo with a friend, and it began circulating. Finally, another acquaintance of Hatley (known as Witness 1) sent the photo to the FBI, identifying Hatley and reporting that Hatley drove his car from S.C. to D.C. to participate in the events. Witness 1 also said that Hatley had shared plans to attend the January 6 protests against the certification of 2020 election results.
The FBI searched Hatley’s Facebook profile and found that Hatley was working to get out ahead of what he claimed were “rumors” about his participation in the Capitol Riots.
The documents detail a Facebook post by Hatley which reads:
“It has come to my attention that there was someone who looks like me at the Capitol. Id like to set the record straight. I dont have that kind of motivation for lost causes. I just dont care enough anymore, certainly not enough for all that.”
Another user commented on the post saying “welcome back.”
Despite Hatley’s denial, his cell phone records proved otherwise.
Witness 1 advised that Hatley used a cellphone app to share his location in real time. The FBI obtained a warrant for the account associated with a phone number believed to be Hatley’s, which showed that the phone was active at the Capitol building during the events of January 6.
Agents called the number, and Hatley answered. He also “confirmed that it was his only phone number.” When he was asked about his participation, he said “he was not sure how much he should say without legal counsel because he could be in a great deal of trouble.”
Further, the investigation revealed that a man wearing what appeared to be the same hat as Hatley was caught on Capitol surveillance footage, and that Hatley sent additional photos from the building that day.
The documents conclude “there is probable cause to believe that… Hatley “violated 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(1) and (2), which makes it a crime to (1) knowingly enter or remain in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority to do; and (2) knowingly, and with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions, engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct in, or within such proximity to, any restricted building or grounds when, or so that, such conduct, in fact, impedes or disrupts the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions; or attempts or conspires to do so.”
It is unclear whether Hatley has been taken into custody.
