Name: Photo surfaces showing two Rocky Mount police officers inside Capitol on Wednesday
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Photo surfaces showing two Rocky Mount police officers inside Capitol on Wednesday

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Tags:&nbsp;Sign up for our NewslettersTags:&nbsp;ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – UPDATE - Wednesday 1/13Both men now in connection with last Wednesday’s events at the U.S. Capitol.UPDATE - Monday 1/11A photo of two Rocky Mount police officers at the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday has caused people to speak out both in support of and against the officers.Rocky Mount town leaders remained silent Monday, although that may change as the Town Council hosts a regularly scheduled council meeting Monday night.10 News attempted to speak with both Rocky Mount Police Chief Ken Criner and Town Manager James Ervin to no avail.This comes as numerous police departments across the country are now investigating their own for attending Wednesday’s events at the Capitol.We reached out to both the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police and the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association for comment on off-duty law enforcement participation in the events in general.We only heard back from the Virginia Sheriffs Association, in which Executive Director John Jones said:“The Virginia Sheriffs’ Association (VSA) denounces in the strongest terms the horrifying events at the Capitol of the United States on January 6, 2021. The VSA applauds all efforts by appropriate law enforcement agencies to identify and arrest any individual that unlawfully entered the Capitol or otherwise broke the rule of law.”UPDATEIn the days since the riot at the in which people made their way inside America’s sacred halls of democracy, participants from all across the country are starting to be outed. That includes in our area, where an activist shared this post on Facebook Saturday night questioning if two Rocky Mount police officers went inside the Capitol that day.The photo, authenticated by 10 News and posted above in the screenshot, shows two men standing in front of the John Stark statue, located inside the Capitol’s Crypt. Stark of New Hampshire is famous for coining the slogan, “Live free or die.”Shortly after that, Jacob Fracker, a Rocky Mount officer posted publicly on his now deleted Facebook page about it, saying, “Lol to anyone who’s possibly concerned about the picture of me going around... Sorry I hate freedom? Not like I did anything illegal, way too much to lost to go there, but y’all do what you feel you need to do.”Later in the comment thread, Fracker made sure it was clear he was referring to the activist’s post.Then, Thomas Robertson, another Rocky Mount officer, chimed in on the same post later with a message of support saying Congress and government are both of our enemies. He then wrote: “PS. Here’s the picture in question and I am [expletive] PROUD of it. It shows 2 men willing to actually put skin in the game and stand up for their rights.”He finished by telling four locals, including Franklin County Commonwealth’s Attorney, AJ Dudley, to [expletive] off and hide behind the men.10 News reached out to both Fracker and Robertson. Fracker, through his wife, declined to comment.Robertson told us he needed the investigation to be over before he talked to us, but said the picture was taken “long after any disorder and we were let in and escorted by Capitol Police.” He added “I walked through an open door guarded by two Capitol police officers, was handed a bottle of water by then and asked to stay within a roped area, which we did.”Robertson maintains neither he nor Fracker did anything illegal and said they didn’t participate in any violence.10 News asked Capitol Police about those allegations and we have yet to hear back.Neither man is on the FBI fliers looking for information about the riot.Sunday morning, about 12 hours following the viral post, Rocky Mount issued a statement saying the town supports lawful expressions of freedom of speech and assembly by its employees, but doesn’t condone the unlawful acts that occurred that day. The two officers are both on administrative leave.Additional questions and requests for interviews to both the town manager and police chief have gone unanswered.UPDATE10 News has confirmed Thomas Robertson is one of the two officers placed on administrative leave.ORIGINAL STORYTwo Rocky Mount police officers are on administrative leave after attending the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C. that turned into a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol.“The Town of Rocky Mount fully supports all lawful expressions of freedom of speech and assembly by its employees but does not condone the unlawful acts that occurred that day,” the department said in a press release Sunday.The officers were off-duty at the time.Based on the available information, the department has notified federal authorities and the individuals that were present at the event are on administrative leave pending review.Copyright 2021 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.About the Authors:

Tags:&nbsp;Sign up for our NewslettersTags:&nbsp;ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – UPDATE - Wednesday 1/13Both men now in connection with last Wednesday’s events at the U.S. Capitol.UPDATE - Monday 1/11A photo of two Rocky Mount police officers at the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday has caused people to speak out both in support of and against the officers.Rocky Mount town leaders remained silent Monday, although that may change as the Town Council hosts a regularly scheduled council meeting Monday night.10 News attempted to speak with both Rocky Mount Police Chief Ken Criner and Town Manager James...

Photo surfaces showing two Rocky Mount police officers inside Capitol on Wednesday

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