Jessica Watkins, Donovan Crowl and Thomas Caldwell have been charged with conspiracy, obstructing an official proceeding, destruction of government property, and unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds, according to the Department of Justice.
Watkins is an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan. Crowl served in the Marine Corps as a helicopter mechanic. Caldwell is said to be a retired Navy officer. The three veterans face a maximum sentence of 20 years for allegedly obstructing an official proceeding.
After the Army, Watkins worked as an EMT and met her boyfriend, Montana Siniff, playing the card game Magic: The Gathering. Siniff was recently interviewed by Buzzfeed, where he provided additional details. He and Watkins purchased a bar called the Jolly Roger in Woodstock, Ohio and were getting the business started when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, shutting them down. Watkins had started the Ohio State Regular Militia prior to that in 2019, in response to a series of tornados that tore through their community.
Crowl was interviewed by The New Yorker, as were his family members, confirming that he was a member of both Oath Keepers and Watkins' Ohio State Regular Militia. Family members said they were distressed by Crowl's radicalization in recent years.
“It’s stuff he heard from that psychopath Alex Jones and those echo chambers on the Internet,” his sister told The New Yorker. His mother commented that he had become increasingly racist and that it made her sick to her stomach when she learned that her son had stormed the Capitol building.
Caldwell is married and lives in Virginia where he is active in the Republican party.
"Tom has served our country in a long and distinguished career in the U.S. military. I think very highly of Tom and Sharon," said state representative Del. Dave LaRock who is now facing calls for his resignation for encouraging people to attend the rally on Jan. 6 that turned into a riot.
Watkins, Crowl and Caldwell posted openly about storming the Capitol building on social media. They claimed they committed no acts of vandalism.
The Department of Justice argues that the three were involved in the planning leading up to the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 and that it was not a spontaneous event.
"It begins for real Jan 5 and 6 on Washington D.C. when we mobilize in the streets. Let them try to certify some crud on capitol hill with a million or more patriots in the streets. This kettle is set to boil…" Crowl posted on social media on Jan. 2, according to DOJ.
Watkins posted a photo of herself in the Capitol on social media writing, "Me before forcing entry into the Capitol Building. #stopthesteal2 #stormthecapitol #oathkeepers #ohiomilitia."
She then made a second post saying, "Yeah. We stormed the Capitol today. Teargassed, the whole, 9. Pushed our way into the Rotunda. Made it into the Senate even. The news is lying (even Fox) about the Historical Events we created today."
DOJ also cites recordings made from the communications app Zello, in which Watson allegedly is heard saying, "We have a good group. We have about 30-40 of us. We are sticking together and sticking to the plan."
An unknown man responds, “We’ll see you soon, Jess. Airborne," referring to her prior military service in which she attended Airborne School.
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