Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer will be held without bail until the trial for his role in the Capitol riot commences. As Indiana news station WUSA-9 reports, a federal judge gave the ruling during Schaffer’s bail hearing on Friday. The guitarist is facing six charges for his involvement in the insurrection on Jan. 6, which includes engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building after allegedly assaulting a Capitol officer with bear spray.
Schaffer’s attorney, Marc Victor, argued that his client admitted he “used bad judgment” by attending the riots and wished he had a “do-over.” He also pointed out that Schaffer had no prior convictions and posed no danger to the community.
However, Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ruled against Schaffer, noting that while he wasn’t a flight risk, she believed him to be a threat to the community.
Schaffer turned himself over to authorities in Indianapolis, Indiana on Jan. 17, after a widely-circulated photo (which you can see above) was used to identify him. His participation drew the scorn of his Iced Earth bandmates, who released a statement speaking out against the guitarist’s actions.
“We want to thank those of you who have sent words of support in recent days,” bassist Luke Appleton wrote on Instagram a few days after the riot. “Some of you have been concerned by our silence, which we understand. We needed some time to properly process the information and find out some facts before we made a statement.”
“We absolutely DO NOT condone nor do we support riots or the acts of violence that the rioters were involved in on January 6th at the US Capitol building. We hope that all those involved that day are brought to justice to be investigated and answer for their actions,” he continued before sending condolences to those directly affected by the riot. “With broken hearts we are sending our love and compassion to everyone who has felt pain from the events on January 6th. We are deeply saddened and our hearts go out to the families of the lives lost that day. There are really no proper words to console. Just know we are with you in your shock, grief and pain. Much love to you all.”
