North Texas man charged with assaulting cops during Capitol insurrection is running for Texas House

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North Texas man charged with assaulting cops during Capitol insurrection is running for Texas House

AUSTIN – A North Texas man charged with alleged assaulting police officers during the January 6 riot and siege of the U.S. Capitol is now running for a seat at the Texas House.

Mark Middleton, indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, DC, in May, challenges incumbent GOP MP David Spiller of Jacksboro in House District 68. Following this year’s redistribution, the district extends from the Oklahoma border in the south to Lampasas and San Saba counties on the edge of the Texas Hill Country.

According to the Texas Secretary of State’s website, the Republican Party of Middleton’s state accepted Middleton’s candidacy for the March 1 primary.

Middleton and his wife, Jalise, of Forestburg, were videotaped and photographed that participated in the riot, according to a federal criminal complaint from the FBI. You were arrested and released from Collin County Jail in April.

The couple have pleaded not guilty and are free to a personal guarantee of recognition while awaiting trial on nine counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer, interfering with a law enforcement officer during civil order, obstruction of an official process, unlawful entry restricted reasons and disorderly behavior on the Capitol grounds.

Mark Middleton was not immediately available for comment.

Middleton, 52, states on his LinkedIn profile that he is a volunteer firefighter and scout guide who worked in sales for Nortex Communications, an internet services company. According to his campaign website, he has two business degrees and a Masters of Theology from Liberty University.

On his application, Middleton listed a PO Box in Era, which is 15 miles east of Forestburg in Cooke County. He and Jalise live on a small family farm in southwest Cooke County, according to their campaign website.

In the complaint, the FBI said it received a body camera video showing a man, later identified as Mark Middleton, bumping into the Capitol barricades and police line during the riot. The man yelled at the officers with a swear expression and fought against them for “more than 30 seconds” when the police asked the rioters to return.

The man then grabs an officer’s left hand or wrist and pulls him forward, the ad said. The Middletons indictment mentions that the two officers worked for the DC Metropolitan Police Department.

Mark Middleton’s campaign platform advocates Texas considering leaving the United States and becoming an independent nation, a far-right position.

“As far as the Union can be saved, we should work on it. It is time, however, for Texans to give serious thought to our exit from the Union, ”reads his campaign website.

According to the FBI, the Middletons posted several photos and videos on Facebook documenting their involvement in the uprising.

In a video posted by Mark Middleton, the FBI said he and his wife were on the front lines of the attack and “helped pull down the barriers” before they were “sprayed with pepper spray, thugs and tear gas.” ”

Middleton also said those who did damage were “NOT patriots” and that “there would be no more buildings” if they wanted to start a riot, the office said. Both Middletons said on Facebook that, according to the complaint, they had not entered the Capitol.

About 20 men and women in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have been charged in connection with storming and looting the Capitol following a Trump rally. Some are accused of hurling dangerous objects at police officers and officers trying to keep them away from the Capitol.

Contributors to this report were Kelli Smith and Kevin Krause, and Austin Bureau chief Robert T. Garrett.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/11/29/north-texas-man-charged-with-assaulting-cops-during-capitol-insurrection-is-running-for-texas-house/