Jan. 6 Defendant Re-Arrested After Trump's Pardon

One of the Jan. 6 defendants who received a presidential pardon found himself almost immediately re-arrested, reports Politico. Daniel Ball never even left federal custody, and his case may test the scope of President Trump's sweeping pardons of all those who took part in the violence at the Capitol, notes the Washington Post.

• Jan. 6: In May 2023, the resident of Homosassa, Florida, was charged with 12 counts related to the Capitol riot. Among other things, he was accused of "throwing an explosive device that detonated upon at least 25 officers," according to court documents cited by Rolling Stone. Trump issued the pardon Monday, Ball's case was formally dismissed Tuesday, and he was re-arrested on Wednesday.

• New charge: In one sense, the new charge is unrelated to the riot. Ball, who has previous felony convictions, is accused of illegally possessing a firearm, reports the Hill. His previous convictions include domestic violence battery by strangulation (2017) and battering and resisting law enforcement with violence (October 2021).
• The complication: Authorities discovered the rifle when they executed a search warrant on the Jan. 6 charges, and his lawyer argues that because of that, the new charge should be wiped away, too, per the Post.
• Never freed: Ball had been in custody awaiting trial on the Jan. 6 charges because of what a judge called "some of the most violent and serious offenses of any of the charges being brought against participants in the January 6 events," per Politico. He was re-arrested before being allowed to go free and brought back into court on the federal gun charges, which will be prosecuted in Florida. His is the first federal criminal case on the books in DC since Trump's inauguration.

(More Capitol riot stories.)