TAMPA, Fla. — A member of the extremist group, the Oath Keepers, is standing trial this week in Federal Court in Tampa.
Federal agents arrested Jeremy Brown on Sept. 30, 2021, outside of his home in Tampa. He is accused of entering restricted areas of the U.S. Capitol grounds during the riot in Washington, DC. on Jan. 6, 2021. But that's not what he's on trial for this week.
When the FBI and the Tampa Division of the Joint Terrorism Task Force agents arrested him, they also searched his Tampa home and vehicles. They found two hand grenades and an unregistered short-barrel rifle and sawed-off shotgun. The trial stems from charges related to the weapons.
Brown has been held in custody since his arrest because the court found he "poses a danger to law enforcement officials." But during his time in the Pinellas County Jail, he made an unsuccessful run on the Republican ticket for Florida House District 62.
Tuesday's court proceedings were all about science. Federal prosecutors called FBI forensic, fiber and fingerprint experts who testified they couldn't connect Brown to the guns and grenades.
Brown's attorney said Brown, a former Green Beret and the recipient of two Bronze Stars, will take the stand before the trial is over.
