The US Department of Justice has recommended a 25-year sentence for convicted seditionist Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers. His codefendants received recommendations ranging from a minimum of ten to twenty years in federal prison and sentencing is scheduled for May 25, 2023.

Just last week the DOJ scored another big win with convictions against five members of the right-wing militia, Proud Boys. Four of the five, including Enrique Tarrio are convicted of seditious conspiracy and will likely face similar sentences to Rhodes, et al. The significance of these convictions is that January 6th wasn’t just a political protest that got out of hand.

Many of us here in Coos County are wondering if or when our local insurrectionists will be held accountable, namely Commissioner Rod Taylor. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer. There may, however, be a glimmer of justice on the horizon.

Recently, I was made aware of Sedition Hunters (SH). From their website, “Sedition Hunters is a global community of open-source intelligence investigators (OSINT) working together to assist the U.S. FBI and Washington D.C. Capitol Police…”

A quick note that I met Taylor for the first time in person at the recent Coquille town hall meeting. He called me by name and introduced himself and held out his hand. He probably noticed my hesitation as I was debating internally whether I wanted to shake hands with someone I consider a traitor, but I ultimately accepted the offer. Taylor complimented my writing and told me my “diction is excellent”, which seems a bit odd, but I’ll take it. During our chat I reminded him he had promised me an hour-long interview. He did not remember that but said he would honor his promise.

Back to SH, if you scroll through the thumbnails of anti-democracy trespassers taken that day, Rod Taylor, dubbed “Insider #2217, is clearly visible. The site has tagged him as “Identified.” Again, according to the site, “All of these individuals were observed inside the Capitol Building. Not all images on these charts are from inside the Capitol, we use the best identifiable images available. Inside the Capitol images are available to provide proof.”

SH claims to have reviewed thousands of hours of video footage and hundreds of photographs “searching for individuals who committed crimes on Jan 6, 2021.” They have provided some snap shots of Taylor in the threshold of the US Capitol included here. His early claim that he was wearing a holster merely to support his flags and banners is borne out in these photos. His claim that he only entered the building to return something being absconded with by someone else is not supported by video evidence. Nonetheless, Taylor is never picked up on surveillance video beyond the door.

“We have followed Taylor from what we can tell thus far,” explains SH via email,”he was at the threshold of the door but never went inside.”

Whether Taylor will ever be charged for trespassing and rioting with the specific intent of interrupting official government proceedings remains to be seen. He admits to traveling to DC twice in the months preceding January 6th. We do know Tarrio has been in contact with a local right-wing radio host and Taylor sympathizer. Previously, I asked Taylor whether he was in meetings helping plan the events of that day. He only replied that I, “can’t handle truth,” and so he won’t answer my question.

SH explains via an email “…for some identified it is taking years for arrests. He (Taylor) was arrested on Jan 6 for curfew violations so hopefully they will get to him soon.”

We would all like to see some accountability for his actions.