House arrest plan for invader of Pelosi’s office halted

Andrew DeMillo/AP

Updated: Jan 16, 2021 / 07:16 AM CST

This undated photo provided by the Washington County, Arl., Sheriff’s Office shows Arkansas resident Richard Barnett, who was taken into custody Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, and is being held in the county jail after he was charged by federal prosecutors with three counts for storming the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in Washington. Barnett was in a viral photo where he could be seen inside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. (Washington County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A plan to place the Arkansas man photographed sitting at a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol on house arrest has been put on hold.

A federal judge stayed the decision to confine 60-year-old Richard Barnett to his Gravette, Arkansas, as he awaits trial.

A magistrate judge in Arkansas hours earlier set a $5,000 bond for Barnett and ordered a GPS device to track his location. She also prohibited him from using the internet or having contact with anyone else who participated in last week’s riot by supporters of President Donald Trump.