2 Rocky Mount officers terminated for allegedly storming US Capitol
ROCKY MOUNT, Va. (WSET) — The Rocky Mount Police Department has terminated employment for two officers for their participation in the pro-Trump rally in D.C. earlier this month.
Rocky Mount police officers Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker were initially suspended with pay and then suspended without pay this weekend after a photo of them inside the Capitol surfaced on Facebook.
RELATED: Rioters flaunt involvement in Capitol siege
Robertson previously told ABC13 he sent the photo as a joke and the two were ushered in by Capitol police.
Newly-unsealed warrants from the FBI tell a different story.
According to the documents, Robertson allegedly went on to tell a friend that seeing the senators “cowering on the floor with genuine fear on their faces is the most American thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” He reportedly went on to tell the friend, "Remember who you work for."
Social media messages the FBI obtained from Fracker show him reportedly bragging that he urinated in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s toilet.
He said, “We did it haahah, it was f***** amazing. Flash bangs going off, CS gas, rubber bullets flying by. Felt so good to be back.”
The affidavit also says he sent a video to a friend that shows the two officers going around a barricade to get inside the Capitol.
The two officers are facing federal charges.
Both officers have not commented on this new document.
RELATED: 'We did not participate in any violence:' Officer speaks out after attending DC protests
The Town of Rocky Mount says they have followed the necessary due processes to conclude their review and notified Robertson and Fracker of their decision.
Read the full statement from the Town of Rocky Mount below:
"The Rocky Mount Police Department has terminated employment for officers Jacob Fracker and Thomas Robertson effective Tuesday, January 26. The Town has followed the necessary due processes to conclude our review and notify these individuals of this decision. We will continue to assist in the federal investigation as called upon.
It is not our policy to publicly discuss the details of personnel matters; however, the very public nature of this situation does warrant brief comment:
1. We hear those who have communicated their anger and frustration about the actions of these individuals or our response to those actions. There is no playbook for dealing with what occurred on January 6. We have treated the process of review seriously from the beginning and thank those who contributed and in coordinating a response in a quick, objective and lawful manner.
2. We want to reinforce our commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and business, and to upholding the law. Our officers are held to high standards for how they conduct themselves on and off-duty and we are proud of the dedication and sacrifice made to keeping our community safe. The process we have gone through reinforces how seriously we aim to uphold these standards and how important it is to communicate that the department works in the best interest of everyone’s safety.
The events of the past few weeks have been challenging for our town, as they have been for the entire nation. The actions by two have driven our beautiful town into the national spotlight in ways that do not reflect our whole community and the people who call Rocky Mount home. Our town is a patchwork of people rooted to and connected by their love for this area and that is where we want to focus moving forward."
