Following his arrest earlier this month for his participation in the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer has now been transferred into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Schaffer was wanted by the FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia after being caught on camera storming the Capitol building and allegedly using bear spray on police officers. He turned himself in to authorities in his home state of Indiana on January 17 and had been locked up at Marion County Jail until now.
Shaffer will next be extradited to Washington D.C., where he will face six charges, including:
“1) Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority
2) Disrupting the Orderly Conduct of Government Business
3) Knowingly Engages in an Act of Physical Violence Against any Person or Property in any Restricted Building or Grounds
4) Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building
5) Engage in an Act of Physical Violence in a Capitol Building
6) Parade, Demonstrate, or Picket in a Capitol Building”
In related news, the Indiana Oath Keepers have distanced themselves from the assault on the Capitol and Schaffer. According to a statement made by the organization, Schaffer (not mentioned by name), who was wearing a hat in the aforementioned video that read “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member,” is not a member of their chapter. Reads the statement,
“Indiana Oath Keepers does not and has never sponsored, planned or funded any activities that involve riots, violence or unlawful actions. No IOK members were sent to Washington DC on January 6th nor did IOK leadership ask for volunteers to travel to Washington DC. IOK encourages the rule of law by supporting law enforcement and emergency response personnel in the lawful exercise of their duties. The individual arrested in Columbus, Indiana and was wearing an Oath Keepers (not Indiana Oath Keepers) hat in the US Capitol building on January 6th is NOT a member of Indiana Oath Keepers.”
The Oath Keepers have been labeled an “extremist anti-government group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center and have been described by the U.S. Department of Justice as a “militia of former law enforcement and military personnel.” A number of people arrested at the Capitol on January 6 are suspected to be members of the organization. Just because he’s not a member of his local chapter doesn’t mean Schaffer isn’t a member somewhere else.
The ramifications of Schaffer’s actions have been felt by the rest of Iced Earth and Demons & Wizards as well. Following his arrest, both bands’ names mysteriously vanished from their label, Century Media’s, website, leading many to believe that the bands were dropped from it’s roster. The members of Iced Earth and Schaffer’s Demons & Wizards collaborator Hansi Kürsch have both released statements condemning the storming of the Capitol building.
