Maryland Elections Board Member Resigns After Arrest On Jan. 6 Riot Charges

A member of Maryland’s Board of Elections resigned this week after he was arrested for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Carlos Ayala, 52, was arrested Tuesday on a felony count of civil disorder and several related misdemeanor charges, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.

An FBI affidavit dated Monday describes how Ayala allegedly approached the front of the Capitol on the day of the insurrection, wearing a hooded U.S. flag sweatshirt “cinched tightly around his head,” a “Stop the Steal” button and a “grey 3M-style painter’s mask with large filters on each cheek.” He also carried a flag with the words “We the People” and “Defend” on it, hung on a makeshift flagpole made from a PVC pipe.

During the breach, Ayala shoved the flag through a broken window of the Capitol and waved it around, according to the affidavit. After moving toward a door, Ayala allegedly jabbed the flag at an officer, who then grabbed the flag and ripped it off the plastic pipe. Moments later, according to footage referenced in the affidavit, a pipe is seen flying at the police line as rioters make their way into the building.

A few minutes after that, Ayala approached the police line and yelled, “Join us!” the affidavit said.

According to The New York Times, Ayala made an initial appearance in court on Thursday and was released under pretrial supervision.

Ayala had been appointed by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) last year to serve on the state’s election board, the Times reported. His resignation from the four-year position was confirmed Thursday by the board’s chair, Michael Summers.

“The board is committed to maintaining the security and integrity of our elections in Maryland in a