Beaver County man charged in connection with Capitol riot

A Beaver County man who traveled to Washington with his wife and mother to rally for Donald Trump was arrested Friday on accusations that he participated in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S Capitol.

Russell James Peterson, 34, of Rochester, is charged with knowingly entering any restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct; disruptive conduct in the Capitol Buildings; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol Buildings.

At an initial appearance hearing Friday afternoon, U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Pupo Lenihan granted Peterson release on a $10,000 unsecured bond. The prosecution is not seeking detention.

His wife and mother have not been charged with any crimes.

Peterson is the sixth person to be arrested in the Western District of Pennsylvania. So far, 191 people have been charged nationwide.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Russell Peterson’s Facebook account twice streamed video from inside the Capitol during the attack — including from inside the Crypt, an area below the Capitol rotunda.

A witness told investigators on Jan. 20 that Peterson, who has been unemployed for about a year, and his mother were in Washington that day.

The witness said Shelly Peterson, Russell Peterson’s mother, was an old friend and that the woman had posted on Facebook that her son “stormed the U.S. Capitol building and ‘sat in Pelosi’s chair.’ ”

The witness also provided photographs of mother and son, as well as his wife, Elizabeth Peterson, from the “protest area,” that day.

Closed-circuit footage from inside the Crypt also documented Peterson inside the building and in the Crypt Lobby area, the affidavit said.

Nothing in the affidavit includes any evidence of Russell Peterson being inside Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office that day.