Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer had faeces and urine thrown at him during his two-month imprisonment in Indiana earlier this year, it has been reported.
Back in April, the metal guitarist pleaded guilty to two charges related to his involvement in January’s US Capitol riots. He admitted to the obstruction of an official proceeding, and entering and remaining in a building with a dangerous weapon (he was carrying bear spray).
As Louder Sound reports, Schaffer’s lawyer Marc J. Victor told a federal judge that the musician had endured “two months of hell” at Indiana’s Marion County Jail before he was transferred to the District Of Columbia in March, when the charges were filed against him.
Victor’s comments came during a detention hearing in the US District Court.
“My client, who is presumed innocent, has just gone through two months of hell where other people were throwing faeces at him and urine at him and threatening his life in a horrible, horrible situation,” he told the court.
“I think this got his attention, Judge,” Victor said, adding: “He’s aware this is a serious case.”
In response, judge Zia M. Faruqui said: “That’s obviously unacceptable, flatly. I share your feelings of anger that this is not how our criminal justice system is to work.”
According to the report, Schaffer is currently on conditional release having agreed to cooperate with ongoing investigations into the US Capitol storming. During a plea hearing in April, a federal judge said that the guitarist could face 41 to 51 months behind bars. A sentencing date has not yet been made public.
A plea deal was reported to be in the works in April, with Schaffer questioned about his ties to the militia organisation Oath Keepers. During the insurrection, Schaffer was filmed and photographed wearing an Oath Keepers Lifetime Member baseball hat.
It was thought that Jon Schaffer could have offered information on the Oath Keepers as part of his plea deal.
Iced Earth’s Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton quit the band in the wake of Schaffer’s involvement in the US Capitol riot, with guitarist Jake Dreyer also believed to have departed.
