The DOJ says William Dunfee is shown in these two photos on January 6.
An Ohio pastor who reveled in the capitol storming on Jan. 6 and proudly spoke about it to his congregation months later now faces felony charges, according to the Justice Department.
A 57-year-old resident of Frazeysburg, Ohio, William Dunfee made his intentions clear through a megaphone when he spoke directly to police on January 6, according to the federal government.
“Gentlemen, we want you to understand something. We want you to understand something. We want donald trump and if Donald Trump doesn’t come, we take our house,” he reportedly said. “We’re taking our house.”
Now Dunfee faces felony charges for allegedly obstructing official process and interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil unrest. Several January 6 standard misdemeanors for unlawful entry and disorderly conduct were also charged.
“On January 6, 2021, Dunfee illegally entered the grounds of the Capitol and, using a bull’s horn, repeatedly addressed the crowd, saying, among other things, ‘We’re taking our home. “,” the DOJ said in A press release. “At approximately 1:44 p.m., Dunfee pushed a metal barricade against United States Capitol Police officers, who were trying to hold the line. He pushed against the barricade a second time around 1:58 p.m. He moved past a crowd of rioters at the Capitol’s east front entrance. Dunfee moved away from the east front doors as others moved into the building, but he remained in the area.
The statement of facts in the case included several images that the DOJ says depicts the defendant on January 6. Several of the images show the suspect with the megaphone in his hand.
Court documents also include some of the words Dunfee allegedly spoke into that megaphone while addressing the crowd that day.
“This election has been stolen from us and it is time for the American people to rise up. Rise up. Rise up. games,” the documents state. “That we are not sheep who are just going to be [unintelligible] according to [unintelligible].”
“We will defend our country. We defend our freedoms. We defend our president. And today is the day that these elected officials, these senators and these members of Congress, understand that we are not going to allow this to continue any longer,” he reportedly continued. “I’m not talking about the absurdity of burning down buildings and destroying other people’s property, but they [elected officials] need to fear us.
Prosecutors say the Warsaw, Ohio-based pastor’s politics were on full display in a church video from Dec. 27, 2020.
“The government, the tyrants, the socialists, the Marxists, the progressives, the RINOs, they fear you. And they should. Our problem is that we haven’t given them reason to fear us,” the defendant said.
“January 4-6…Are you ready? he was also quoted asking the congregation as if to spur them to action.
The government alleges Dunfee not only had things to say before January 6, but also took advantage of the afterglow.
When a rioter said, “We did it. We close them all. We did our job,” the pastor reportedly responded with “Hallelujah.” “Mission accomplished,” he also reportedly told the surrounding pro-Trump crowd.
Federal authorities said they became aware of “Pastor Bill” just over a month after the attack on the Capitol, when a “trickster” took screenshots of incriminating comments on a Facebook page:
On or about February 3, 2021, a tipster provided a screenshot of comments made on the “Here We Go with Jeremy Herrell” Facebook group, which read “Amen Brother. My local ministry group was there and members of our group “stormed” the capital for redress of our grievances. Leading was Pastor Bill. We as Christinas [sic] have a duty to reverse evil. Later, the same tipster posted, “Just a clarification…Pastor Bill and several others from our group entered the inner gates of the capital. They went back and forth with the police. They spoke to the officers and told them why they were there. Do no harm or destroy. They wanted to talk to Congress. When an officer came back and said it was not possible, they tried to force the doors. They were pepper sprayed and arrested.
Months later, in May, the suspect allegedly bragged to his congregation about his actions, again in an incriminating Facebook post (though this one was a video on his church’s page):
In a publicly available video posted on May 30, 2021 on the New Beginnings Ministries Warsaw Facebook page (see photo 23 below), DUNFEE told his congregation, “We are showing up on January 6 at the Capitol, right? not ? To let it be known that we are not going to back down and let an election be stolen. That we’re going to hold our legislators to account, and so on? And what has it brought us? Eh? What are we all famous for? Eh? A bunch of terrorists, right? DUNFEE later said, “I can tell you, after being there [at the U.S. Capitol], that uh, we were surrounded by patriots. Many, many, many, many patriots. And I thank God that they showed up at uh, just to let it be known, that you know, what the end result is, that uh, you’re not stealing this election. You are not going to rob us, deprive us of a democracy, of a republic, without our being heard.
East Dunfee not the only pastor to face charges since January 6.
Read the Statement of Facts and Complaint here:
[Images via DOJ]
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