Ex-Salt Lake cop arrested, accused of participating in U.S. Capitol insurrection

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. Federal agents have arrested a second Utah man — a former Salt Lake City police officer from Kaysville — and accused him of entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection. | John Minchillo, Associated Press

Federal agents have arrested a second Utah man — a former Salt Lake police officer — for allegedly entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Michael Lee Hardin, 50, of Kaysville, was taken into custody without incident Friday morning, according to the FBI. He was booked into the Davis County Jail.

Hardin was arrested on federal charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to the FBI.

An anonymous tipster called the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center on Jan. 7 alleging that Michael Lee Hardin was inside the Capitol on Jan. 6. The tipster described Hardin as a “friend” and his former financial adviser, according to a federal complaint.

The tipster told authorities Hardin called on Jan. 4 to say he was heading to Washington to “fight for the United States,” the complaint says. The tipster also claimed to have received text messages from Hardin on Jan. 6 saying, “We stormed the Capitol, I am in here now!” and “I know you don’t like Trump, but He is the rightful President!” and “We will return until we win!”

Davis County Jail

Michael Lee Hardin, 50, of Kaysville, was arrested on Friday, April 2, 2021, on federal charges accusing him of participating in the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

According to LinkedIn, Hardin works as a senior marketing manager at Transamerica Financial Advisers.

A Facebook page belonging to a Michael Hardin shows photos of an AR-15 rifle etched with the likeness of former President Donald Trump along with the words “Re-elect Donald Trump 2020.” There also is a photo of pairs of Trump 2020 red, white and blue socks.

On Jan. 10, the FBI received another tip from a Hardin acquaintance saying Hardin was in the Capitol on the day of the riot, the complaint says. The tipster provided agents a photo of him standing next to a bust of Abraham Lincoln in what appears to be the Capitol Crypt. Hardin can be seen wearing a navy blue beanie with the word “TRUMP” embroidered in white on the front, a dark-colored puffer coat, dark-colored shoes with white soles, and a tan backpack, according to the complaint.

The tipster told agents the photograph came from a relative of Hardin who claimed to have received it via text message on or about Jan 6.

Hardin is the second Utahn to be arrested in connection with the Capitol riot.

In January, John Earle Sullivan, of Sandy, was charged in U.S. District Court in Washington with being on restricted property, civil disorder and violent entry or disorderly conduct.

Sullivan, who founded an organization called Insurgence USA, has said he was only at the Capitol to document the event.

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