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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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4 th annual reed summit
REGIONAL EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
NORTH GEORGIA
SERVES & PROTECTS
Join us for a one-day
event that brings
together economic
developers,
community and
government leaders,
industry partners,
and faculty, staff,
and students to
discuss industry
trends, educational
pathways and career
opportunities in the
public sector.
Keynote speakers
John Hancock,
President & CEO, JA of Georgia
John F. King,
Georgia Insurance and
Safety Fire Commissioner
Thursday, January 27
8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
UNG Convocation Center, Dahlonega Campus
PARTICIPANTS MAY REGISTER FOR ONE OR ALL SESSIONS
ATTENDANCE IS CAPPED AT500 PER SESSION, SO REGISTER EARLY!
UNG
UNIVERSITY of
North Georgia"
Details &
Registration
go.ung.edu/reed-summit
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