The Jan. 6 rioter seen in photos wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” hoodie inside the U.S. Capitol building has been arrested in Virginia on charges stemming from a dog attack.
Robert Keith Packer, 60, was arrested on Thursday “following an investigation into an animal-related incident” that had occurred on Monday in Newport News, a city spokesperson said.
The booking photo for Robert Keith Packer.
City of Newport News
Packer was charged with one count of animal attack resulting from owner’s disregard for human life, a felony, the spokesperson said. He was also charged with attacking while at large and no city license, both misdemeanors.
Civil charges have also been filed against Packer, including dogs running in a pack and vicious dog, the spokesperson said.
Police told Newport News ABC affiliate WVEC that four people were taken to the hospital with dog bites stemming from the attack.
“As part of the investigation, authorities seized one adult dog, six 11-week-old puppies, four live rabbits, and one deceased rabbit from the property,” the spokesperson said.
The case is being investigated by the city’s Animal Services division, police said.
A man wearing a hoodie that reads, “Camp Auschwitz” and “Work Brings Freedom,” is pictured in an image made from ITV News video on Jan. 6, 2020, during the riot in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The man was later identified by law enforcement as Robert Keith Packer, who was taken into custody Jan. 13, 2021 in Newport News, Va.
ITN via AP
Packer is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on Sept. 12. Online court records do not list any attorney information.
He was previously convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, after pleading guilty in 2022 to one misdemeanor count of demonstrating inside the U.S. Capitol building and was sentenced to 75 days in prison in connection with the Capitol siege.
Federal prosecutors in the Jan. 6 case said that Packer has been a “habitual criminal offender for 25 years with 21 convictions for mostly drunk driving, but also for larceny, drug possession, and forgery.” He was incarcerated for several previous offenses, they said.
He was ultimately pardoned, after President Donald Trump issued a sweeping series of pardons for defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack earlier this year.
