Oakhurst man arrested for alleged role in January 6 insurrection, to be arraigned at Federal Court this afternoon

An Oakhust, California man and self self-proclaimed member of the Proud Boys was arrested today for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which sought to stop the U.S. Congress in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Ricky Christopher Willden, 39, of Oakhurst, is charged with federal offenses that include assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers and acts of physical violence in the Capitol building or grounds, among other charges. Willden will make his initial court appearance in the Eastern District of California this afternoon.

In publicly available videos recorded on Jan. 6, Willden can be seen in a crowd near the east door of the Capitol at 2:24 p.m. (according to timestamps in one of the videos) wearing a dark jacket, beanie cap and gloves, and cheering as the doors to the Capitol opened. At 2:35 p.m., he can be seen raising his hand and spraying an unknown substance from a green can toward police officers who were standing guard at the east door.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

In the more than 150 days since Jan. 6, approximately 465 individuals have been arrested on charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, including over 130 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

[BREAKING] #ProudBoy Ricky Willden has been indicted by a federal grand jury on *EIGHT COUNTS* #FAFO #POYB https://t.co/NAYvV0rYy9

— Sedition Track (@seditiontrack) June 30, 2021

Willden was reportedly involved in a Sacramento protest in the days following the November 2020 presidential election. 

Willden was among the Proud Boys who bypassed police lines to bear-spray and physically assault counter-protesters in Sacramento on 11/14/20. He also fundraised for 13 proud boys to make the trip to DC for J6. He goes by the name Chris Ricky Willden. https://t.co/6RTWixskTZ pic.twitter.com/1moVmPUVRh

— Borwin (@Borwin10) April 27, 2021

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