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62-year-old Capitol riot suspect arrested again in Volusia County

Howard Berton Adams refused to show up for federal court hearings

Federal investigators said this man is Volusia County resident Howard Adams, who was charged for his connection to the riots on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. (Courtesy Inside Edition / Copyright 2021 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

EDGEWATER, Fla. – A Volusia County man arrested for his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021 has been arrested again for refusing to show up for court hearings.

On Wednesday, FBI agents arrested Howard Adams, 62, in Volusia County, and he was booked in the Volusia County jail.

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Howard Adams, 62 (Copyright 2022 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

Adams was arrested in March 2021 after someone recognized him in Capitol riot video footage shown on Inside Edition, seen on News 6.

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He was charged with two counts of civil disorder, witness tampering, entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct and parading inside the U.S. Capitol.

In early November, Adams sent notices to the federal court that he was rejecting orders to appear in his case, he fired his attorneys, and he decided to represent himself.

Adams declared he was a “sovereign citizen” and did not recognize the court. The sovereign citizen movement is an anti-government ideology rooted in a convoluted conspiracy theory that the U.S. government is illegitimate, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell approved a motion to issue an arrest warrant for Adams.

He briefly appeared before a federal magistrate at the Federal Courthouse in Orlando after his arrest Wednesday, where he requested to be represented by a public defender.

Another hearing in his case was set for Friday morning.

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