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Former Wheeling man arrested in connection with Capitol attack

A former Wheeling man allegedly seen on video rummaging through documents on the Senate floor during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was arrested Tuesday in connection with the attack on Congress.

Dale “DJ” Shalvey allegedly wore tactical equipment, including a green helmet, while he was captured on a New Yorker Magazine video sorting through paperwork on Sen. Ted Cruz’s desk just moments after the senators were evacuated from the floor.

Shalvey, 36, was charged Feb. 12 in connection with the insurrection, but his case was sealed until his arrest Tuesday. A Department of Justice spokeswoman said Shalvey surrendered himself to authorities in Washington, D.C., and he is free on bond.

FBI investigators received multiple tips on Jan. 18 from people watching videos of the insurrection who recognized Shalvey, including a friend from his former high school in Wheeling.

In the video, a man who matches Shalvey’s description said Cruz “was going to sell us out all along” after he mistakenly thought the Republican senator from Texas was going to vote in favor of certifying the Electoral College results that won the presidency for Joe Biden.

When another person on the Senate floor says that Cruz’s prepared speech was actually in support of their cause to deny certifying the election results, the man authorities suspect is Shalvey acknowledged he was confused.

“No, that’s actually OK,” Shalvey allegedly says in the video. “Alright, alright.”

“That’s a good thing. He’s with us,” an unidentified man standing near the man suspected to be Shalvey says about Cruz.

Cruz has been criticized for pushing false conspiracy theories that the election had been stolen from former president Donald Trump, which has been cited as one of the reasons why rioters descended on Washington and later breached the Capitol.

An acquaintance told investigators that Shalvey sent texts showing two cellphone videos of him inside the Capitol, including on the Senate floor. In those images, Shalvey is wearing the green tactical clothing identical to the man in the New Yorker Magazine video, according to court documents.

Other images texted to the acquaintance “appear to depict official correspondence that was handled by Shalvey from at least one of the desks in the Senate chamber,” investigators said.

Shalvey is charged with obstruction of justice/Congress; knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful order; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Authorities sealed the charges against Shalvey for nearly a month over concerns information published in court documents could have compromised the investigation. Dani Jahn, who is listed as Shalvey’s federal public defender, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Shalvey, a West Liberty University graduate who was raised in Wheeling, now resides in Bentleyville and helped to manage Redemption Farms on land leased in Centerville, Pennsylvania.

He also is a skilled woodworker, according to his professional website. Attempts to reach him Thursday at the farm where he worked were unsuccessful.

A story profiling Shalvey and his girlfriend, Tara Stottlemyer of Washington, appeared in the Observer-Reporter on Nov 13. The couple raised turkeys on the farm, and planned to also raise chickens, cows and pigs using regenerative agriculture that is defined as “a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems,” according to the story.

“It’s hard work,” Shalvey said in the story, “but a lot of the time, I don’t feel like I’m working.”

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