Accused Drug Trafficker Was A Capitol Invader
Alabaman, 23, is arrested due for D.C. insurrection
JANUARY 12--An Alabama man arrested today for participating in the Capitol insurrection was recently arrested for narcotics trafficking and traveled to Washington, D.C. in violation of his bond conditions in the drug case, court records show.
Investigators this afternoon collared William Wright Watson at his apartment in Auburn. Federal criminal charges against the 23-year-old have not yet been unsealed.
Watson is seen in numerous news photos taken inside the Capitol during the January 6 invasion. In some images, he is standing next to Jacob Chansley, the so-called QAnon Shaman who has been indicted on six federal charges. Other photos show distinctive tattoos on the back of both of Watson’s hands.
Upon identifying Watson as one of the “persons of interest” whose photos have been circulated by law enforcement officials probing the Capitol invasion, investigators determined that Watson has been free on bond on felony drug charges.
In July, Auburn police and a county tactical team executed a search warrant on Watson’s residence, where they seized 2.2 pounds of marijuana and four grams of LSD. “Detectives also located assorted drug paraphernalia, firearms, and United States currency,” according to a District Court affidavit.
Watson was charged with felony counts of trafficking in marijuana and LSD, and two corresponding counts of possession of a controlled substance. He was freed from the county jail after posting a $103,000 bond, which included a condition barring him from leaving the state without judicial permission.
As a result of Watson’s unapproved trip north, state prosecutors yesterday filed a motion to revoke his bond, citing images from inside the Capitol showing the accused trafficker “dressed in a yellow sweatshirt standing next to a man with a horned hat.” A judge subsequently revoked Watson’s bond and issued a bench warrant for his arrest, which was executed this afternoon. (3 pages)