Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer Gets Court Date to Consider His Pretrial Release
A court date has been granted to Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer after the rocker's legal team requested his release from jail as he awaits trial for his role in January's storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Last month, Schaffer was ordered by a federal judge to be held without bond until his trial. The musician was arrested on Jan. 17 in his home state of Indiana after appearing on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list following the guitarist's participation in the pro-Trump insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6. His likeness there was captured both in photographs used by authorities and in alleged amateur video. He's facing six federal charges following the incident.
But rather than wait out the time until trial in a jail cell, Schaffer's attorneys argued the musician should be released in the interim. Now, an April 6 court date has been set to consider such a proposal, as MetalSucks reported. Schaffer's lawyer Marc Victor listed the Iced Earth member's reasons for such a request in a "motion to amend detention" from March.
"Mr. Schaffer is 53 years old," Victor said. "He has no criminal convictions. He does not have a substance abuse or mental health issue. He has no history of violence and was not violent on January 6, 2021. He entered the capitol with pepper spray. He did not threaten anyone with or discharge the spray. He left the capitol after approximately 60 seconds and returned home to Indiana."
Further, the guitarist's attorneys have asked for the "government to provide, by Monday, April 5, 2021, at 12:00PM, its response, if any, to defendant’s 11 Motion for Review of Detention Order, incorrectly labeled as a Motion to Amend Detention Order." The hearing on the motion is scheduled for April 6 at 12:30PM via videoconference before Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell.
Previously, Judge Zia Faruqui ordered for the musician to be held without bail as he awaits his trial, "finding that while he wasn't a flight risk, he does pose a danger to the community," according to a quote from WUSA9. Schaffer appeared before the judge on a March 19 video call.
Iced Earth, a Florida-born metal band founded by Schaffer in 1985, clearly won't be the same following the legal trouble. While the band's other members issued conflicting statements in the immediate wake of the riot, singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton officially announced they were both leaving the heavy metal group in February. A trial date for Schaffer has yet to be set.