SWFL man accused of participating in insurrection will be held without bond

Christopher Worrell, a Collier County man accused of participating in the insurrection, will remain in jail through his trial, a federal judge decided on Friday.

Much of the discussion on Friday in the courtroom of Chief United States District Judge Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell, for the District of Columbia, centered around pepper spray.

Howell said she could not overlook the images of Worrell using pepper spray at what appears to be toward a line of police officers protecting the Capitol building.

Worrell, 49, was arrested earlier this month after the FBI identified Worrell in photos from the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol to keep Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election.

The FBI executed a search warrant at his home in Collier County prior to his arrest and found pepper spray and maps of Washington D.C.

Investigators describe Worrell as a member of the Proud Boys, which is designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group that espouses white nationalists beliefs and misogynistic rhetoric.

Court documents show Worrell was interviewed on Jan. 18, but he denied entering the Capitol.

However, Worrell’s attorney John Pierce said investigators have no evidence of Worrell entering the Capitol building, adding that he is a veteran who loves his country.

Pierce previously represented Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen accused of killing two men during a protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha.

Pierce said Worrell was using the pepper spray against other mobsters to protect the line of officers.

However, a 2009 arrest where Worrell pretended to be a police officer and tailgated a woman was troubling for Judge Howell. Pierce said Worrell was training to be a bail bondsman at the time, but Howell questioned his use of a fake badge and handcuffs in the case.

Howell referenced Worrell’s affiliation with the Proud Boys and use of white power symbols in photos.

Howell said Worrel was “unapologetically associated with the Proud Boys” and his decision to wear protective gear was not helpful to his case. The use of a tactical vest indicated preplanning, she added.

Worrell is being held in Florida but will be transferred to a D.C. jail to await his trial.