ORLANDO, Fla. – A Florida firefighter who was photographed inside the U.S. Capitol during a riot by loyalists of President Donald Trump was charged Tuesday with disorderly conduct and unlawful entry.
Charges of disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and unlawful entry of a restricted building were filed in the District of Columbia against Andrew Williams, according to an online court docket.
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A mob objecting to the election victory of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden broke into the Capitol last Wednesday as members of Congress met to certify the results. Five people died in the violence.
Williams has been a firefighter and paramedic with the Sanford Fire Department since 2016. He was placed on administrative leave from the fire agency last week pending an internal investigation. Sanford is located about 25 miles outside Orlando.
“We hold the men and women in this department to the highest standards," Sanford Fire Chief Craig Radzak said in a statement. “It saddens me that the actions of one individual have tarnished the hard work and dedication that the rest of the department puts forth on a daily basis."
Vincent Citro, an attorney for Williams, didn’t respond to an email inquiry. After a brief hearing in federal court in Orlando on Tuesday, Williams was released from custody but ordered to surrender his passport and give up any weapons in his home. He also was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and he was prohibited from traveling outside central Florida and the District of Columbia.