The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday it is not dropping charges “at this time” against Joseph Daniel Hutchinson III and Olivia Michelle Pollock, two defendants in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. Despite President Donald Trump’s recent pardons for many involved in the event, the DOJ is holding strong on these charges. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin stated that while eight charges have been dismissed under Trump’s executive order, two key charges against Hutchinson and Pollock will remain.
Hutchinson and Pollock were charged in 2021 with assaulting law enforcement and other offenses related to the Capitol breach. Both individuals removed their court-mandated ankle monitors in March 2023 and failed to appear for trial. FBI agents arrested the pair and Pollock’s brother, Jonathan Pollock, on Jan. 6, 2024, in Groveland, Florida. Notably, the DOJ filing did not address Jonathan Pollock, who faces accusations of assaulting police officers with a deadly weapon.
President Trump issued a “complete and unconditional pardon” on Monday for most of the 1,583 individuals charged for their involvement in the events of Jan. 6, 2021. This included an order to drop 470 ongoing cases. Trump also commuted the sentences of 14 individuals without granting full pardons. However, Hutchinson and Pollock remain exceptions, as their charges include evading court proceedings.
Senate Republicans have expressed mixed reactions to the pardons. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) criticized the decision, stating it sends the wrong message to law enforcement and undermines the sacrifices of police officers. Other Republican senators have similarly questioned the scope of the pardons.
