A 35-year-old Capitol riot suspect is a Marine Corps veteran who served in the presidential helicopter squadron
- John Daniel Andries was charged with two felonies in connection to the Capitol riot.
- The Washington Post reported that he served as crew chief of the presidential helicopter squadron.
- His time on the Marine One squadron covered the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
A former crew chief of the presidential helicopter squadron is among the more than 30 military veterans charged in connection to the Capitol riot, The Washington Post reported.
John Daniel Andries, 35, of Piney Point, Maryland, was arrested last month on two felony counts of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to his criminal complaint.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges at his first court appearance, according to WUSA9. Andries' attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.
The criminal complaint mentioned that Andries had served in the military but did not specify in what capacity. But on Wednesday, The Post reported, citing officials, that he's a Marine Corps veteran who once served as the crew chief of the Marine One squadron.
The officials told The Post that Andries enlisted in the Marines in 2004 and joined the highly selective Marine One squadron in 2006.
Those in the unit must receive a top-secret clearance and a special higher-level clearance reserved for people who work closely to the president, The Post reported.
According to his service records, which were viewed and reported by The Post, Andries left the Marines as a lance corporal in November 2009, with no combat deployments. His time on the Marine One squadron covered the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
According to the criminal complaint, an acquaintance tipped off the FBI after spotting Andries in videos from the January 6 riot.
The FBI agent who compiled the complaint said he went on to identify Andries in multiple videos and surveillance footage from the riot, including one clip in which he was identified at the front of a crowd that pushed down barriers outside the Capitol.
Andries proceeded to walk up the steps of the Capitol, where surveillance footage showed him entering the building through a broken window, the complaint said.
Once inside the building, Andries was spotted on surveillance footage again as part of a crowd "attempting to push past US Capitol Police officers," the complaint said.
Surveillance footage "further shows Andries walk up to USCP officers several times and get within inches of them," according to the complaint.
The FBI said that while investigating Andries, it discovered that he'd been arrested more than once on suspicion of driving under the influence.
A deputy sheriff in the St. Mary County Sheriff's Office helped the FBI identify Andries, according to the complaint. The deputy sheriff had interviewed Andries at his home on January 11 in connection to an unrelated police report and said that the man in the Capitol-riot videos "looks like him" and that he had "distinct shaggy hair and a beard," according to the complaint.
Andries' next court appearance is scheduled to take place in May, according to WUSA9.