ORLANDO, Fla. — A Winter Park college student accused of hitting an officer in the head with a skateboard during the January attack on the U.S. Capitol will remain behind bars until his trial, a federal judge ruled Friday.


What You Need To Know

  • Winter Park college student charged in Capitol riot to stay in jail

  • Judge says Grady Douglas Owens, 21, could flee if released

  • Investigators say he hit Metro Police officer in head with skateboard on January 6

  • Owens's next hearing is scheduled for April 8

U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Irick raised concerns about Grady Douglas Owens, 21, of Winter Park, being a potential flight risk and possible threat to the community. Owens, a Full Sail University student, has only been in the area for about two years. He's not married, has no children and works part time.

Owens, a Winter Park musician from Texas, is charged with three felonies and one misdemeanor stemming from the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. If convicted of all four crimes, he could be sentenced to as much as 36 years in federal prison.

Irick said he could not come up with conditions of release that would protect the public and prevent Owens from fleeing. Irick and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Gable noted Owens doesn't have strong ties to Central Florida and he could potentially get money from his parents to flee.

Irick ordered Owens back into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. The agency uses county jails to temporarily house federal inmates.

The next hearing for Owens is at 10 a.m. April 8 in Irick's courtroom. He will eventually have to travel to D.C. for court proceedings.

The criminal complaint against Owens was filed in the District of Columbia on Thursday, the day of his arrest. Federal prosecutors released details of the allegations after Thursday's hearing in Orlando.

Owens is accused of wielding a WhiteFang brand skateboard, according to federal records.

Gable said the defendant’s most serious charge — assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees with a deadly or dangerous weapon — carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

He also is charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, a crime punishable by up to 10 years behind bars.

A third felony, obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, carries a punishment of five years in prison.

The misdemeanor charge of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds is punishable by up to a year imprisonment.

Officer Christopher Boyle of the Metropolitan Police Department's Fourth District sustained a concussion and finger injury in the skateboard attack at 2 p.m. January 6, when his team was en route to help defend the Capitol from invaders, Gable noted.

The skateboard attack was captured on another officer's body-worn camera. A still from the footage was used to find Owens.

More than 300 people, including supporters of former President Donald Trump, have been charged across the country with crimes related to violence at the U.S. Capitol. Invaders falsely alleged Trump, a Republican, actually won the November 3 general election and attempted to block Democrat Joe Biden's Electoral College victory in the U.S. Capitol.

At Friday’s hearing David Green, the defendant’s great uncle, was called by a federal public defender to testify about Owens and his character.

Green, a long-time resident of Longwood, offered to let Owens move in with them if needed so he can complete his degree at Full Sail if he received his conditional release. Green also offered to act as a third-party supervisor to report Owens to authorities if he violated any terms of his release.

"He's a good person," Green testified.