DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa man accused of assaulting a Washington, D.C. police officer and trespassing in the US Capitol on Jan. 6 was concerned about election integrity, according to his wife.
Redfield resident Kyle Young, 37, appeared in a federal court in Des Moines Wednesday afternoon via teleconference. He's being held in the Polk County Jail after FBI investigators arrested him on April 14.
Young is facing several charges in connection to his alleged involvement in the deadly Capitol riots, including stealing a metro police officer's weapon.
Young's wife, Andrea, testified about her husband's decision to go to Washington, D.C. in January.
She said he was concerned about free and fair elections and that "he thought he could make a difference."
Then-president Donald Trump had been spreading information on social media and to his supporters about illegitimate claims of election fraud in the 2020 General Election leading up to the Jan. 6 incident.
Trump urged his supporters to attend the "Stop the Steal" rally outside the Capitol. The attack that happened after left a police officer dead and forced Congress to pause its certification of Joe Biden's presidential election victory.
Federal prosecutors said in court on Wednesday Young and his teenage son entered the Capitol. According to prosecutors, Young is heard on tape saying, there are "good cops and bad cops."
Federal officials also alleged Young threw an object during the incident at the Capitol and was caught on a Metro Police officer's body camera trying to wrestle away a gun from an officer.
Young will remain in custody in Polk County for now. The judge deemed him a flight risk at the Wednesday hearing, based on his past criminal behavior and substance abuse.
A status hearing will take place on Friday.
Watch Local 5's coverage of the US Capitol riots on YouTube