Barber pleads guilty to two charges in Capitol riots case

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - Former Parkersburg City Councilman Eric Barber has taken a plea deal in his Capitol riots case.

Barber was originally charged with five crimes in connection to the riots: entering and remaining on restricted grounds, disorderly conduct on restricted grounds, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, parading in the Capitol building, and theft. He pleaded guilty to the parading and to the theft charge in U.S. District Court Thursday afternoon in exchange for having the other three charges dropped.

He appeared virtually before Judge Christopher Cooper.

The former councilman previously said he intended to take a plea deal, but at the time didn’t want to disclose what the deal would entail.

He admitted in court to stealing a portable power station from Statuary Hall and to entering the Capitol building without permission.

His sentencing is scheduled for March 31 at 2 p.m.

In a written statement, Barber said “I’m thankful for being afforded a plea agreement that includes the lesser of the offenses I was initially charged with.”

Prosecutors brought up statements Barber made to local media after the riots during court on Thursday, noting comments he made to WTAP about Capitol Police not doing enough to stop the riots.

Thursday he asked to clarify, saying “I didn’t [witness] the early stages of the Capitol riot and the violence that led to the breech. It wasn’t [until I ] later saw news footage that I realized how brave and courageous the Capitol Police were on January 6th. It was wrong and inaccurate for me to suggest the Capitol Police made no effort to stop the riot when in fact they defended our Capitol building with valor and courage.”

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