PROVIDENCE – A North Kingstown man who was arrested for his role in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors, WPRI-TV CBS 12 reported Tuesday.
Bernard Joseph Sirr, 47, was arrested on June 29, 2022, and charged with civil disorder, a felony, and related misdemeanor offenses for his actions that helped a mob disrupt a joint session of Congress convened to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
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In court documents filed Jan. 13, both the defense attorneys and federal prosecutors filed a joint motion for a change of plea hearing, WPRI-TV reported. A hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 27.
Sirr is accused of being among the rioters who illegally entered the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. He is accused of joining a line of rioters that was engaged in a confrontation with law enforcement officers in the tunnel area of the Lower West Terrace.
The government said videotape shows Sirr entering the tunnel at 3:08 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, and depicts him at the front of the police line pushing against rioters who were assaulting the officers. He is also seen pushing against the police line with his hand pressed against a police shield. He also participated in a struggle in which a group of rioters chanted “Heave! Ho!” in unison as they moved together as a team against the officer, the government said.
The footage shows Sirr exiting the tunnel at approximately 3:14 p.m., the government said. He reappeared an hour later at the Lower West Terrace doorway, pushing other rioters who were pushing against police officers. Sirr ultimately was ejected from the tunnel area.
