A Tennessee man accused of smoking marijuana inside the US Capitol told a local news station that he knew it was a bad idea and that there would be consequences.
Ronald "Ronnie" Sandlin, of Memphis Tennessee, is accused of being involved in the Capitol attack and faces a number of charges.
According to prosecutors, the man attended the "Stop the Steal" rally with his friend Nathan DeGrave and another man. Sandlin posted on social media that he was starting a campaign to raise money for his trip to DC to attend the rally.
Who is going to Washington D.C. on January 6? According to court documents, Sandlin posted on social media before the riot. I'm going to be there to show my support for our president and to do my part to stop the steal and stand behind him when he crosses the rubicon.
Sandlin was accused of carrying a knife during the riot, but he did not use it or bring it out during the attack.
Sandlin said in an interview that the men wanted to make sure they were prepared to defend themselves.
Sandlin said that he had people spit on him while he was wearing the cap. If you support Donald Trump, you could be subject to violence. When we talked about violence, it was always "Hey we need to protect ourselves against violence."
Sandlin was arrested outside of DeGrave's Las Vegas home. The internet marketer pleaded not guilty to all counts in March, but a federal judge declined to release him on pre- trial release after federal prosecutors showed evidence that he had been texting from his DC jail cell.
"I'm in a cell block with all Capitol people and I'm proud to call them my friends," Sandlin wrote in a text message. I'm looking forward to being a free man again and hopping on my motorcycle and riding off into the sunset far away from people and their machinations.
Sandlin described himself as a political prisoner in an interview with the I-Team.
He told the outlet that we should never allow this to happen again.
The man seemed to acknowledge his role in the riot.
I knew we took it too far. Sandlin said that he knew there would be consequences.
Sandlin told the outlet that he traveled to DC because he believed there had been massive voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, but that Trump continues to perpetuate it.
Sandlin said that he is one of the most powerful people in the world.
An attorney for Sandlin didn't respond to Insider's request for comment.
More than 130 people have pleaded guilty to their roles in the Capitol riot, which left one person dead.
