A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday issued a 17-page order denying bond for Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the right-wing Oath Keepers charged with seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, according to multiple news outlets.
Magistrate Judge Kimberly Priest Johnson’s decision came after prosecutors asked that Rhodes be kept in jail while awaiting trial, arguing that he presents a flight risk and is a danger to the community ashe has the “willingness and capacity” to continue engaging in criminal conduct.
In her ruling, the judge cited testimony from Rhodes’ estranged wife, Tasha Adams, who said she fears for the safety of herself and their six children if he is released. Adams also told prosecutors that the defendant installed elaborate escape tunnels in the couple’s backyard, hid unregistered cars in the woods, and purchased hundreds of dollars of razor wire, which Defendant intended to install around the perimeter of the property, concealed from view, ‘in case the feds ever came to his door.'”
Prosecutors argued that “Under these circumstances, only pretrial detention can protect the community from the danger Rhodes poses,” they added.
