Former Lexington council candidate arrested for role in January 6 riot at US Capitol

LEXINGTON, KY — Barry Saturday, the Lexington, Kentucky, native and former council candidate who was named by online sleuth group Sedition Hunters as ‘Denim Dad’, a figure allegedly involved in the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, has been arrested.

This update comes following the group’s allegations that Saturday was part of the violent episodes at the Capitol, particularly an altercation at the tunnel entrance. After a comparative facial recognition analysis suggested a match between Saturday and ‘Denim Dad’, FBI officials initiated a thorough investigation.

The arrest warrant was executed by the FBI Tuesday morning, marking a significant development in a case that has drawn national attention. Following the allegations, Saturday, who was a vocal figure in local politics and a former contender for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council District 4 seat, had been under scrutiny by both media and legal professionals.

In a recent criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Barry Saturday is accused of participating in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The charges against Saturday include civil disorder, knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.

The complaint alleges that Barry Saturday was one of the rioters who participated in the push against the line of police officers at the Lower West Terrace tunnel. At approximately 2:50 p.m., Saturday is first seen standing in the crowd outside the tunnel. The complaint further alleges that Saturday actively walked further into the tunnel, closer to the police line and the entrance into the Capitol building.

The complaint details that Saturday continued his participation in the push against the line of officers. In both CCTV and open-source video, a rioter with an American flag is visible behind Saturday. The complaint alleges that Saturday did not retreat and instead remained in this crowd to move closer to the police line once again.

The complaint also alleges that Saturday appeared again on CCTV at the mouth of the tunnel at approximately 4:02 p.m., attempting to gain control of a long pole that was in the possession of another rioter, yanking on it several times.

At approximately 4:15 p.m., Barry Saturday is again observed on CCTV at the mouth of the tunnel. For several minutes, Saturday actively pushed against the line of police officers with other rioters. By 4:18 p.m., Saturday advanced even further into the tunnel, participating in the coordinated push against the police line, known as the “heave-ho.” Shortly thereafter, Saturday and several other rioters put their heads down as a wave of a gas-like substance appeared in the camera’s view. Law enforcement then successfully pushed the crowd toward the tunnel’s entrance. At 4:22 p.m., Saturday appeared at the mouth of the tunnel wiping his face, possibly suffering from the effects of pepper spray.

Shortly after recovering from the effects of pepper spray, Barry Saturday was observed moving through the crowd to approach two lone officers. The complaint alleges that Saturday deliberately followed one of the officers as the officer was pulled and pushed by the rioters, further into the crowd and away from the tunnel. Open-source materials show Saturday weaving and pushing through the mob to continue following the rioters who had gained control of the officer. In one open-source video, Saturday is seen following the officer to the very back of the riotous mob standing in front of the tunnel until he disappeared from the camera’s view. This sequence of events suggests a determined effort by Saturday to stay in close proximity to the officer amidst the chaos.

Saturday reappeared on CCTV at approximately 4:26 p.m. at the tunnel’s entrance, this time wearing goggles that covered both his eyes. In the CCTV footage, it appears that Saturday assisted rioters who had fallen to the ground while confronting law enforcement officers. Soon thereafter, a violent struggle ensued between law enforcement and rioters, and Saturday disappeared from the camera’s view. Based on the investigation, Saturday remained in the Lower West Terrace tunnel and its surrounding area for at least 1 hour and 36 minutes, from 2:50 p.m. to 4:26 p.m.

The FBI utilized a facial comparison tool to compare the image of Saturday, as depicted in the videos, with open-source photos found in publicly available social media and local newspaper pages. That search found matches within a Twitter account, and on the websites flipboard.com/topic/gentrification, the Lexington Herald Leader website, and the Middlesboro News website.

FBI records revealed that Saturday was interviewed by agents at the FBI Lexington Resident Agency on three separate occasions in October 2018, December 2018, and again in January 2019; in those meetings, Saturday reported that he was a victim of cyber intrusion. Saturday provided the FBI with his telephone number and email address as his contact information. The incidents were closed due to no evidence of cyber intrusion on Saturday’s devices.

FBI agents who met Saturday face-to-face during his 2018-2019 interviews have reviewed the January 6, 2021 footage described above. These agents have concluded that Saturday is the individual depicted in these videos and images from January 6, 2021.

On July 16, 2021, the FBI interviewed Saturday at the Lexington Resident Agency regarding a cyber intrusion he reported on his Apple iPhone X. Saturday confirmed that he has owned and utilized this iPhone for the last several years but refused to provide consent to search the device for any cyber intrusion indicators. The FBI agent present at this interview concluded, based on visual comparison, that Saturday is the individual depicted in the images and video footage from January 6, 2021.

Prior to his arrest, Saturday was engaged in a legal battle with the Fayette County Public Schools, accusing the district of exploiting his daughters’ educational rights for financial gain. It remains uncertain how the recent developments will affect his standing in his community and the ongoing lawsuit.

The Lexington Times is following this story closely. For more information, refer to the attached full FBI criminal complaint. No attorney was listed for Saturday in court records, as of Tuesday afternoon.

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Top photo: Photo from FBI criminal complaint. (DC District Court)

This article has been updated with additional information.