Judge dismisses Jan. 6 riot charges against Topekan Will Pope and his brother
A federal judge signed a court order Tuesday formally dismissing charges against Topekan Will Pope and his brother, Michael Pope, linked to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras signed the order, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Leigh Blackwell had requested in response to President Donald Trump's order Monday pardoning or dismissing federal indictments against more than 1,500 people charged with — and in most cases, convicted of — crimes linked to that event.
Contreras dismissed five non-violent charges against Will Pope, 39, against whom three other charges had previously been dismissed.
Michael Pope, 36, of Sandpoint, Idaho, was found guilty last October of four federal charges. Because Michael Pope was never sentenced or had judgment entered in his case, he received a dismissal instead of a pardon, Will said.
Michael Pope had also sought a retrial, but no ruling had been made on that request prior to Monday's executive order, Will Pope said.
Will Pope had represented himself as his own attorney since 2022
Will Pope had told The Capital-Journal in a text message that he felt convinced Contreras would sign the dismissal order.
"It feels good to win and be vindicated," he said, "but I'm still angry about the conduct of the government and various other individuals and organizations."
Michael Pope and Will Pope, who ran unsuccessfully in 2019 for the Topeka City Council, were visiting Washington, D.C., at the time of the Capitol riot.
The criminal complaint involved alleged Will Pope was caught on video trying to force his way into the office of then-U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. He said that was inaccurate.
Will Pope had represented himself as his own attorney in the case since the summer 2022, he said.
Contreras agreed after Trump was elected last November to postpone Pope's trial, which was set to be held Dec. 2, until after Trump took office.
Contreras earlier this month allowed Will Pope to travel to accept an invitation to attend Trump's inauguration Monday, temporarily suspending his prohibition on traveling to Washington, D.C., for anything unrelated to his court case.
Pope said he attended an inaugural ball Monday evening in Washington, D.C.
Moving ahead, he told The Capital-Journal on Tuesday, "There will be some loose ends to tie up, but I look forward to starting a new chapter in life."
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
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