Olivia Pollock, left, and Joseph Hutchinson, right (via FBI court filing).
Two Florida residents accused of assaulting multiple police officers during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol have apparently gone missing just as their trial was set to start.
Olivia Michele Pollock and Joseph Daniel Hutchinson III are facing an array of charges for allegedly participating in what federal investigators described as “at least four bouts of assaultive conduct against U.S. Capitol Police (‘USCP’) and/or Metropolitan Police Department (‘MPD’) officers who were protecting the west side of the Capitol building.” A 53-page probable cause affidavit details their alleged actions, along with those of co-defendants Joshua Christopher Doolin, Michael Steven Perkins, and Jonathan Daniel Pollock.
According to prosecutors, Hutchinson grabbed a metal bike rack that police were using as a barricade and, along with Jonathon Pollock — Olivia Pollock’s younger brother — pushed it forward, “providing rioters with unobstructed access to the line of police officers” — a key moment in allowing the mob of angry Donald Trump supporters to push closer to the Capitol as Congress certified Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral win.
Hutchinson is also seen on police body-worn camera footage punching at one officer and throwing another officer “out of his way,” according to the affidavit. He also allegedly provided physical support to Jonathan Pollock in striking an officer in the face or throat with a stolen police riot shield.
Olivia Pollock, who was seen wearing a ballistic-style vest and carrying a flagpole with an American flag attached to it, is alleged to have punched an officer who was stumbling, according to the affidavit. She is also accused of trying to steal an officer’s baton, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with him.
The trial for Olivia Pollock, Doolin, and Perkins was scheduled to start Monday. Hutchinson, whose trial is scheduled for Aug. 7, had recently requested permission to come to Washington to attend the trial, the docket shows.
It now appears that Pollock and Hutchinson are on the lam.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols on Monday unsealed two arrest warrant orders for Hutchinson and Pollock that had been filed on Feb. 28. Also on Monday, Nichols severed Pollock from the case, allowing the trial of Doolin and Perkins to proceed.
“Bond Status of Defendant: Defendant’s Bond Status Unknown/Fugitive,” Nichols’ March 6 order says.
A spokesperson for the FBI in Florida confirmed to Law&Crime on Tuesday that there is “no new information on the whereabouts of Pollock and Hutchinson.”
“The court was notified that they had tampered with or removed the ankle monitors that track their location,” Public Affairs Officer Andrea Aprea told Law&Crome in an email. Aprea also confirmed that one of the monitors was found, but did not identify whether it belonged to Hutchinson or Pollock.
On Feb. 1, Nichols, a Trump appointee, had granted Hutchinson’s request to modify his conditions of release, allowing him to travel out of the Middle District of Georgia for work as a driver. Although he was no longer subject to curfew or home detention, the order did maintain his location monitoring to “allow probation to track his movements.”
The order clearly stated that Hutchinson was not allowed to travel to the District of Columbia except for scheduled court appearances, nor was he allowed to leave his home district for personal reasons without advance permission from the court.
On Feb. 27, Hutchinson, representing himself, filed a request for permission to come to Washington to attend the trial of Doolin, Perkins, and Pollock, which was scheduled to begin Monday.
The following day, according to the docket, Nichols issued warrants for the arrests of Hutchinson and Pollock.
It was not immediately clear what happened in the interim. The docket indicates that several documents have been filed under seal, and the Feb. 28 warrant order doesn’t offer details.
Pollock’s lawyer told Law&Crime that she doesn’t know where her client is.
“I have no information about my client’s whereabouts, she has not contacted me since her disappearance,” attorney Elita Amato said in an email. “I am ready of course to assist her in resolving her bench warrant if she does reach out to me. Up until her disappearance she was diligently assisting in her defense for her upcoming trial, and so her disappearance was unexpected.”
Hutchinson’s former lawyer declined to comment to Law&Crime. Olivia Pollock’s lawyer did not immediately respond to Law&Crime’s request for comment.
Jonathan Pollock — Olivia Pollock’s younger brother — has been missing since at least July of 2021. In September, the FBI announced a $30,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
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