SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of assaulting law enforcement in both Washington and at his home in West Jordan, plans to enter a guilty plea to the first set of charges.
A defense attorney and a prosecutor entered a joint report Monday saying Justin Dee Adams, 49, will plead guilty. The report didn’t specify which charge he will admit to. The judge ordered the lawyers to file another report by June 16.
Court records say Adams and two companions traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Jan. 6, 2021 “Stop the Steal” rally. As a riot broke out on the upper west plaza of the Capitol, prosecutors allege, Adams charged the police line.
Still photos taken from body camera video depict Adams pulling on a bike rack police were using for crowd control. The record do not describe Adams’ companions’ conduct at the Capitol.
A federal grand jury indicted Adams in October 2022 on a felony count of assault as well as four other charges. Then, when U.S. marshals went to arrest Adams, according to court records, he tried to slam the door on federal agents, run and resisted them.
A federal grand jury in Utah issued a separate indictment for an assault charge from that episode. Adams has been held in the Tooele County jail since his arrest.
Adams would be the ninth Utahn to be convicted of crimes related to the Capitol insurrection. Three other Utah defendants have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
