TAMPA (WFLA) — A Pinellas County man and business owner is among the latest to face charges for his alleged role in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Robert Palmer, 53, of Largo, has been charged with assaulting officers, civil disorder, and trespassing on restricted grounds, federal court records show.
Photographs taken of Palmer on the day of the riots were featured in the FBI’s public database it’s using to locate remaining suspects from the Jan. 6 incident.
Palmer’s first court appearance was 2 p.m. before US Magistrate Judge Julie Sneed in Tampa Wednesday. The judge agreed to release him on a $25,000 bond.
Bjorn Brunvand is Palmer’s attorney and says his client had every intention of surrendering as soon as authorities were ready to take him into custody.
“He regrets what happened. He regrets his involvement to the extent he was involved,” Brunvand said.
Brunvand tells 8 On Your Side his client describes himself as a patriot and so does he.
“We sat in my office and I looked up at a photo of myself and President Obama and I said listen, we’re both patriots. We can both love this country and have differing opinions but that doesn’t mean that what happened on January 6th is okay,” Brunvand said.
As part of his release, Palmer has a restriction on where he can travel and he has to surrender his passport and any firearms.
City records show Palmer is a business owner in Clearwater.
