Local
Va. man arrested at inauguration checkpoint says he was lost and didnt mean to bring gun, ammunition to D.C.
By
Jessica Contrera,
Carol D. Leonnig and
Katie Mettler
Jan. 16, 2021 at 8:19 p.m. EST
A Virginia man was arrested after law enforcement found at least one firearm and ammunition in his truck as he tried to enter an
inauguration security checkpoint near the Capitol on Friday evening with a credential that was not authorized, according to court documents.
Wesley Allen Beeler, 31, of Front Royal drove his Ford F-150 up to a checkpoint on E Street, northeast of the Capitol, where he was met by Capitol Police officers, according to the court documents. The area is one of many under complete lockdown following the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol and ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration.
Beeler was arrested on charges of carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition, a Capitol Police spokesperson said. At a hearing on Saturday afternoon, the U.S. attorneys office for the District asked a judge to issue a stay-away order. Beeler was released on personal recognizance, which prosecutors did not object to, even when the judge asked three times whether the government wished him to be held ahead of trial.
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A person with knowledge of Beelers actions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is pending, said Beeler has no extremist ties, cooperated fully with law enforcement and was cleared from further investigation, except for the charge of violating District law by carrying a pistol without a license.
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Julie Tate, Jennifer Jenkins, Peter Hermann, Alex Horton, and Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.
Jessica Contrera
Jessica Contrera is a reporter on The Washington Post's local enterprise team. She writes about people whose lives are being transformed by the major events and issues in the news. Follow
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Carol D. Leonnig
Carol Leonnig is an investigative reporter at The Washington Post, where she has worked since 2000. She won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for her work on security failures and misconduct inside the Secret Service. Follow
https://twitter.com/CarolLeonnig
Katie Mettler
Katie Mettler is a reporter covering policing, courts and justice. Follow
https://twitter.com/kemettler