About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 2022)
Wednesday, January 12,2022 dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3A 2 men face charges 1 year after U.S. Capitol assault Jose Luis Magana Associated Press Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. By Nick Watson DCN Regional Staff A year after an assault on the U.S. Capitol, two men from Gainesville and Dawsonville face federal charges for crimes connected to the Jan. 6 event. Benjamin Henry Torre, of Dawsonville, and Ronald Vincent Loehrke, of Gainesville, were two of more than 700 Americans charged for their alleged roles in the Capitol riot. On Feb. 22, Torre, who was 23 when he was arrested, was accused of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disor derly and disrup tive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, enter ing and remaining in cer tain rooms in the Capitol building, disorderly con duct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrat ing or picketing in a Capitol building. On Dec. 3, Loehrke was charged with obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder, unlawful entry on restricted build ings or grounds and violent entry and disorderly con duct on Capitol grounds. Loehrke, 30, was grant ed a $10,000 bond and released, while Torre was released on a $20,000 bond. 'Caught up in the moment' A tipster sent an email Jan. 14 to the FBI identify ing Torre as a person seen in a “be on the lookout” flier created by law enforcement. According to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent, Torre admitted to the FBI agent during a Jan. 21, 2021, interview that he entered the U.S. Capitol building. “Torre stated that he drove to Washington, D.C., with his family, including his par ents, on Jan. 4, 2021,” according to the FBI affidavit. “According to Torre, he did not go to the rally as part of any group, but because he is a ‘patriot.’ Torre stat ed that he attended the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally, during which he heard President (Donald) Trump tell the crowd to ‘peacefully march to the Capitol.’” Torre told the FBI he saw people break a window on the west side of the Capitol building, and someone reached through the broken window and opened the door. “While this happened, someone — possibly Torre — yelled to stop and not break anything,” according to the affidavit. Torre also reportedly admitted to entering the building through a window that had previously been broken. “Torre reported that the officers ‘helped us in (the) Capitol,’ in that they did not shout or try to stop them from coming into the Capitol,” according to the FBI affidavit. After walking through an office and expressing his support for law enforcement, Torre told the FBI that he tried to leave again through the broken window but was instructed by an officer to exit through a doorway. The FBI identified the office Torre was allegedly in as Sen. Jeff Merkley’s office. Merkley is a Democratic Senator from Oregon. “Torre claimed that he did not damage any prop erty or engage in violence while inside the building,” according to the FBI’s affi davit. “Torre stated that he got caught up in the moment when he entered the Capitol, and that some day he could tell his chil dren that he was there that day.” Torre entered a plea of not guilty March 3. He was set for a status conference Oct. 21, but he and the U.S. Attorney’s Office jointly requested a continu ance. U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras for the District of Columbia granted the con tinuance and rescheduled the conference for Jan. 24. When Torre was charged in February, Lanier Technical College President Tim McDonald confirmed that Torre was a student enrolled in the school’s marine engine technology program. McDonald said Wednesday, Jan. 5, that Torre earned his diploma. Torre’s attorney Tony Miles did not return multi ple calls for comment this week. When reached by The Times, one of Torre’s fami ly members said they had no information they wished to share at this time regarding the case. 'On the front line' Loehrke originally lived near Seattle but has since moved to the Gainesville area. Law enforcement started pursuing Loehrke after reviewing cellphone com munications with Ethan Nordean, a Proud Boys member also charged in connection to the events on Jan. 6. According to an FBI agent’s affidavit, Nordean asked Loehrke in late December 2020 if he was coming to D.C. After Loehrke said he would, Nordean told Loehrke that he wanted the Gainesville man “on the front line” with him. “Loehrke responded with ‘Sounds good man,’ and indicated that he was bringing three ‘Bad mother f—ers’ with him,” accord ing to the affidavit. As the crowd started to overwhelm the Capitol Police, Loehrke can be seen “helping another indi vidual over a rail perpen dicular” to a barricade and then “waving protestors toward the Capitol,” according to the FBI affi davit. The FBI agent said Loehrke was one of the first to cross the “trampled barricades and into the West Plaza.” He was also near the front of the line formed by Capitol Police officers clad in riot gear, according to photos sub mitted by the FBI. Once inside the Capitol, Loehrke was captured on video and photos including “a confrontation with police and inside Sen. Merkley’s office,” accord ing to the affidavit. Loehrke’s attorney, Thomas Hawker, also did not return calls or an email seeking comment. The Times tried phone numbers listed on a public database for Loehrke to no avail. Loehrke, who has not entered a plea, is scheduled for a status hearing on Feb. 15. What comes next The possible sentences for the charges vary great ly- In Loehrke’s case, the charge of obstructing a law enforcement officer carries a maximum five-year pris on sentence. Entering or remaining a restricted building and the disruptive and disorderly conduct charges, which both men face, has a maxi mum one-year prison sen tence. The remainder of the charges for both men carry a maximum of six months in prison. This article was originally published in The Gainesville Tmes, a sister publication of the Dawson County News. Torre Loehrke Sawnee EMC announces retail rate decrease By Erica Jones ejones@dawsonnews.com This week, Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation (Sawnee EMC) announced that its board of directors have approved a retail rate decrease that will affect energy bills sent out beginning on Jan. 4, accord ing to a press release by Sawnee EMC. “The rate reduction will occur in the Sawnee’s Rate Schedule ‘R’, Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment (WPCA), a billing compo nent utilized in most Sawnee EMC rate sched ules,” the release said “This action will affect all Sawnee EMC residential and most of its commercial accounts.” WPCA is a factor that increases or decreases to account for monthly fluctu ations in Sawnee EMC’s wholesale power and other costs, the release said, The WPCA or “fuel charge” is a common practice used by electric utilities across the nation, and it provides a way to account for changes in the price of the fuels used to generate electricity and other factors which can increase or decrease throughout the year. “As an electric coopera tive, Sawnee EMC’s Board of Directors receives the WPCA on a regular basis, and adjusts it accordingly; which is an efficient prac tice when compared to a permanent rate change,” Vice President of Member Services Blake House said in the release. With the WPCA decrease, Sawnee EMC’s member-owners will see an average reduction of $17.50 per 1000 kWh consumed, the release said. As vari ables in the electric utility industry continue to change in the future, the Sawnee EMC Board of Directors will continue reviewing the WPCA and adjusting as needed. “It is important to com municate to our member- owners that Sawnee EMC’s Board of Directors and staff are always conscious of keeping the cost of electric ity on the forefront of our minds,” President and CEO Michael Goodroe said in the release. “Many vari ables are considered when setting the WPCA factor, and when it is prudent to do so, we will pass these sav ings on to our members.” For more information or questions regarding WPCA or your Sawnee EMC account, contact the Sawnee EMC Customer Call Center by calling 770- 887-2363, emailing cus- tomerservice@ sawnee. com, texting 678-999-8124 or going to sawnee.com. 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