A 35-year-old California resident pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of attempted possession of a prohibited weapon following his arrest this week near US Capitol grounds, according to court records.
Capitol Police officers discovered the 10-foot wooden guillotine in the back of a black Toyota Tacoma parked in a Library of Congress permit-only spot near the Supreme Court building on Tuesday. When questioned by officers, the man indicated the device was functional. He stated he had no specific reason for being at the federal location and reported having no issues with members of Congress. The investigation into his motivations remains ongoing, Capitol Police said.
At a Wednesday hearing before Judge Robert Hildum of the District of Columbia Superior Court, prosecutors sought to detain the man, charging that he possessed the weapon with intent to use it unlawfully against another person. However, Hildum declined the detention request, noting that the defendant did not threaten anyone with the device and did not attempt to flee. The judge characterized possessing the guillotine as a “very, very serious thing” despite the absence of direct threats.
According to interviews with the man’s brother, the defendant lacked specific political affiliations but expressed general dissatisfaction with the current political climate. The brother suggested the guillotine may have been intended as a “symbol of disapproval.” The defendant, who is from Julian, a mountain community northeast of San Diego, was described by his brother as a skilled craftsperson who enjoyed road trips. Capitol Police have seized both the vehicle and the device as part of their ongoing investigation.
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