Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 35
- Location
- Lindstrom, Minnesota
- Charges
- Civil Disorder (2 counts); Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
Federal authorities charged Aaron James alongside two other men, Isaac Westbury and his father, Robert Westbury, for their alleged actions during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors allege James and Isaac Westbury engaged in physical violence on the Capitol grounds by wielding a shield taken from law enforcement, and they accuse all three men of disrupting Congress that day. The three men were arrested in Lindstrom, Minn., on Oct. 4, 2021.
Case History
James pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Jury trial scheduled for 8/4/2025. On 1/21/2025, the court grants the government’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.