KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Another East Tennessean is facing charges in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charged James Wayne Brooks with:
- Entering or Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds
- Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds
- Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building
- Parading, Demonstrating or Picketing in a Capitol Building
According to the criminal complaint, a special agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was assigned to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to investigate criminal activities surrounding the Jan. 6 attacks.
Court documents said Brooks was one of several people who illegally entered the Capitol building that day as Congress met to certify Electoral College votes in the 2020 Presidential Election.
The investigating agent said they compared surveillance footage and images recorded on Jan. 6 at the Capitol with posts on Brooks' Facebook account, saying they appeared to be the same person depicted in his driver's license photo. The agent said a man seen on surveillance taking a photo just outside the door to the Capitol was wearing a distinctive hoodie that was the same as one seen in a picture on Brooks' Facebook page.
The agent said they also obtained location data from Brooks' mobile phone through a warrant, saying the geographic area it was located in included the interior of the U.S. Capitol Building between 2:29 p.m. and 5:07 p.m. on Jan. 6.
"Based upon my review of additional surveillance video recorded inside the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, Brooks walked through the interior of the Capitol Building for about 10 minutes on that date," the agent said.
The agent also spoke with Brooks' sister in October 2021, who told them her brother was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
As a condition of supervised release before his court status hearing on March 17, Brooks is being required to surrender his passport and is restricted from traveling to Washington, D.C. except for court meetings, according to court documents. If he travels outside East Tennessee, he is being ordered to notify the district court in advance -- and must receive approval for travel outside the continental United States.
The release order said he is also being told to enroll in mental health treatment or counseling as directed by the Eastern District of Tennessee and is prohibited from drinking alcohol.