Overview
- U.S. District Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ruled that Brian J. Cole Jr., 30, will remain jailed as his case proceeds on charges tied to devices left near the DNC and RNC on January 5, 2021.
- Prosecutors said in filings that Cole confessed after his arrest, describing how he assembled the IEDs hours before driving to Washington and stating he believed the 2020 election had been tampered with.
- In ordering detention, the judge pointed to the sudden nature of the alleged conduct and the speed with which the devices were reportedly built, concluding release conditions could not mitigate the danger.
- Cole’s defense sought his release to his grandmother’s custody and noted diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, but the judge also cited concerns about deleted evidence and continued purchases of parts after the alleged placements.
- Cole has not entered a plea, no trial date has been set, and prosecutors noted a procedural wrinkle because a D.C. Superior Court grand jury returned an indictment while federal grand juries were not meeting.