Montana man who took his juvenile son on 3-day road trip to the US Capitol for Jan. 6 is arrested and charged

• A Montana man who prosecutors say brought his son to the Capitol attack was arrested earlier this month.
• Patrick William O'Brien was charged with three misdemeanors related to the Jan. 6 attack.

A man who traveled with his juvenile son from Great Falls, Montana, to Washington, DC, ahead of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, was arrested and charged in relation to the attack earlier this month.

Patrick William O'Brien, 54, was arraigned Thursday on three misdemeanor charges, including entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, according to the Department of Justice.

Prosecutors said O'Brien and his young son, whose age was not specified, took a road trip to reach the nation's Capitol in time for the insurrection. The duo traveled 39 hours over the course of three days to reach DC, according to court documents obtained by the Associated Press.

Security and surveillance footage from the Capitol caught O'Brien and his son inside the building on Jan. 6, according to prosecutors. The father and son entered through the first floor Senate Wing door and spent approximately 30 minutes inside, walking through hallways and waving a "Don't Tread on Me" flag, officials said.

While inside the Capitol, O'Brien and his son stopped near a security desk and the boy took a red computer mouse pad and placed it in his pocket, the AP reported, citing court records.

An attorney for O'Brien did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

At least 978 people have been arrested in connection with the attack in the two years since, and more than 450 people have pleaded guilty.