By Steve Neavling
A Texas man who was expected to surrender to the FBI on charges related to the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, is accused of opening fire on sheriff’s deputies on the day he learned of the charges, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Nathan Donald Pelham, 40, allegedly fired his gun on April 12, a few days before he was to appear in court.
Pelham was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Pelham was scheduled to surrender to the FBI on four misdemeanor counts for his role in the insurrection.
According to a court filing, an FBI agent notified Pelham on April 12 that he was to surrender on April 17, and he agreed to do so.
But later in the evening, Hunt County Sheriff’s deputies initiated a welfare check after a relative told them the sheriff’s office that Pelham was brandishing a gun.
When deputies arrived at his home around 8:30 a.m., his daughter exited the house and gunfire erupted. About an hour later, Pelham fired several shots at deputies from his front porch and returned to the home. Shortly after 10:45 p.m., Pelham emerged from the home again and opened fire, prosecutors said.
Deputies later left them home without making an arrest.
Two days later, FBI agents searched his home and found a pistol, boxes of ammunition, and gunshot holes in the wall.
Pelham now faces up to 15 years in federal prison on the gun charge and three years on the charges related to the insurrection.
