Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 35
- Location
- Topeka, Kansas
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building and Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building and Grounds; Impeding Ingress and Egress in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Impeding Passage Through 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
William Pope, a former candidate for Topeka City Council and current Ph.D. student at Kansas State University, turned himself in to the FBI on Jan. 12, 2021. “I did not damage any property or engage in any violence,” Pope wrote on the FBI’s Internet tip system. “I am loyal to the United States and was only there to exercise my freedom of speech. I left the building voluntarily.” A criminal complaint states that video footage depicts Pope and his brother Michael Pope in the hallway outside Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office. William Pope was striking an office door with a flagpole and attempting to batter the door open with his shoulder, the documents claim. Capitol Police officers told the FBI they recalled William Pope “due to his large size and his passive resistance.” They say Pope blocked officers from closing doors to stop other rioters from entering the Capitol and that Pope tensed up and refused to move when officers attempted to physically push him from the building.
Case History
Pope pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. On 9/23/2024 the court dismissed the Obstruction charge, along with counts 5 and 7. 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.