Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 40
- Location
- Calumet, Michigan
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
According to court documents, a tip directed federal investigators to Karl Dresch's Facebook account. There they found a post from early January that said he was preparing to go to “DC” and was “prepared for chemical attacks and what not.” He also called on others to go. “NO EXCUSES! NO RETREAT! NO SURRENDER! TAKE THE STREETS! TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY! 1/6/2021=7/4/1776,” he wrote in a Facebook post. Photographs and messages from Dresch's Facebook account on Jan. 6, 2021, suggest he got inside the Capitol building. According to news reports, Dresch is a felon who was involved in a 2013 high-speed chase with police. Dresch was barred from possessing firearms or ammunition, which is what FBI agents allegedly found in a recent search of his home.
Case History
Dresch pleaded Guilty to one charge: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges were dismissed. Sentenced 8/4/2021 to Time Served (6 months) with no term of supervised release imposed. Special Assessment of $10 and Restitution in the amount of $500. Dresch received a full pardon on January 20, 2025
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.