Ohio man charged with bringing massive 'Trump' sign to Capitol for rioters to use as a weapon

Source: AP

Updated 2:29 PM EDT, October 22, 2024


An Ohio man was arrested Tuesday on charges that he brought a massive “Trump” sign to the U.S. Capitol and joined other rioters in using it as a weapon against police officers during a mob attack.

Jeffrey Newcomb, 41, of Polk, Ohio, apparently posted on social media that he brought the custom-made, metal-framed sign to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, “because bullets are expensive,” according to an FBI agent’s affidavit. The sign was approximately 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide, with wheels the size of a person’s head, the affidavit says.

In March 2023, a message posted on a Twitter account linked to Newcomb included photos of the sign in the crowd of Donald Trump supporters who gathered outside the Capitol on Jan. 6. In one photo, the account’s user obscured his face with an emoji. “Went to Jan 6th to peacefully protest in the loudest way possible: With a 13 ft by 10 ft signs on custom made aluminum wagon. I spent $700 on this. Keeping my identity a secret because bullets are expensive,” the post said.

The account on Twitter, now called X, has since been deleted. Several other Capitol riot defendants have been charged with using the large Trump sign as a battering ram to assault officers and breach police lines outside the Capitol.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-sign-capitol-riot-7676fbcc4d5a832bdbeac0ebad19a85a