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Greenville man charged in Jan. 6 Capitol attack fires at sheriff's deputies

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Lindsey Wiley

Officials say Nathan Pelham shot at Hunt County Sheriff's Office deputies Monday night before surrendering to law enforcement Tuesday.

In Hunt County, a Greenville man charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol now faces a federal weapons charge after a confrontation with Hunt County Sheriff’s Deputies. Nathan Donald Pelham, 40, was arrested Tuesday. Pelham faces four misdemeanor charges connected to his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol building. Pelham was supposed to surrender to the FBI on Monday, but did not.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texasissued a statement yesterday regarding Pelham’s case. Officials say Monday evening, Hunt County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call from a relative of Pelham who said Pelham was brandishing a gun. When the deputies arrived around 8:30 p.m., his daughter, a minor of unspecified age, fled the house. Officials said they soon heard gunfire from inside the house.

Prosecutors say about an hour later, Pelham walked outside and fired at deputies. He went back inside and, about an hour later, went outside and fired at deputies again. The statement says no deputies were hit and they left shortly after midnight without further incident.

After Pelham’s arrest the following day, prosecutors say a search of the house yielded a 9-millimeter pistol. Pelham could face up to 15 years in prison on the felony gun charge on top of any punishments connected to the Capitol attack.

Correction, 2:08 p.m., April 21, 2023: This story describes the timeline of events as presented in a U.S. Northern District of Texas news release. That timeline does not match court documents. An updated story with additional details can be found here.

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