A photo from Jeremy Sorvisto’s Facebook account appears to show him inside the U.S. Capitol Crypt on Jan. 6. Sorvisto is the second person from Houghton County arrested in connection with the riots. He made his first court appearance Tuesday. (Photo from Department of Justice)

HOUGHTON — A second Houghton County resident made his initial court appearance in connection with the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol building, while the government filed a brief Monday opposing the release of the first in custody.

Jeremy Sorvisto of Hancock appeared in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Tuesday, four days after his arrest in Hancock.

Sorvisto sparked the interest of investigators trying to determine who may have been with Calumet resident Karl Dresch at the Capitol, according to the federal complaint against Sorvisto.

Surveillance footage from the Fairfield Inn in Chantilly, Virginia, showed a man believed to be Sorvisto entering the hotel at the same time as Dresch, the complaint states.

A man with a similar hat and sunglasses, and what appears to be the same black jacket with reflective stripes, was seen next to Dresch in footage from the Capitol, the complaint states.

Investigators also found images from Sorvisto’s Facebook account showing what appears to be a selfie taken from inside the Capitol.

The hotel video also shows Sorvisto carrying blue and red flags, matching those believed to be carried by him and Dresch in the Capitol footage.

Instagram and Snapchat posts by Sorvisto’s fiancee, Ashley Aho, around the time of the attacks were also forwarded to an FBI tip line related to the Capitol riot. An Instagram post, which shows Aho asleep in the lap of someone with a black jacket with reflective stripes, was captioned “Road tripped to Ohio to stay the night. Fell asleep in his lap. DC tomorrow. #toledo #trump2020”

Another message from Aho included descriptions of drinking beer with Sorvisto on the steps of the Capitol, accompanied by a photo of Sorvisto, the complaint stated.

Instant messenger messages from Aho on Jan. 21 included a statement about Dresch’s arrest, adding “they might be after us too,” and mentioning messages to Dresch about renting a car, according to the complaint. When the recipient, identified only as R.L., said she wasn’t in the Capitol building, Aho responded, “Yeah. Jeremy was tho” and “He goes I go. Ride or die.”

No charges have been filed against Aho.

Sorvisto was arrested on the four misdemeanor charges that have been common for Capitol defendants: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing a capitol building. Dresch faces the same charges, with an additional felony charge of obstruction of justice.

The government motion filed in Dresch’s case Monday opposes his release on bond. Dresch has been in custody since his arrest in January. At a court hearing that month, the magistrate cited previous convictions related to a high-speed chase, as well as the discovery of weapons in his house as officers executed a search warrant.

As it did in Dresch’s initial court hearing, the government argued Dresch remained a threat, pointing to Dresch’s Facebook posts, such as one saying “give the word and we’ll be back even stronger.”

It also included texts from Dresch’s mobile phone, including a discussion with a friend about someone who had posted screenshots of his Capitol posts. After the friend texted “Just waiting for s—- to go down,” Dresch replied, “Yeah but when it’s everywhere it makes it so much harder to stop us.”

In texts with a friend, Mutti, Dresch wrote: “I think it was a good show of force…look what we can do peacefully, wait til we decide to get pissed … And look if they can’t hold the capitol with thousands of cops, how can they tell us what to do 1000 miles away.”

“The above discussions, after defendant’s actions on Jan. 6, continue to demonstrate defendant’s disregard for the law, and hostility towards those who respect the democratic process; in his own words, he would be a danger to the community if released,” the prosecution wrote.

Dresch’s defense is asking for Dresch to be released on bond, saying his 78-year-old mother relies on his help. Dresch also sells pro-Trump memorabilia from the front porch of his Calumet home to help with finances during the pandemic, the defense motion states.

The defense also noted Dresch had not been charged with any crimes since the high-speed chase. It was also unclear whether the guns allegedly found in Dresch’s house belonged to him, the defense said.

Numerous letters of support were included in his defense, including Houghton County Sheriff Brian McLean and Hancock Mayor Paul LaBine, who served as Dresch’s lawyer in an unrelated case.

“The people who know Mr. Dresch, the people he lives among, know him to be gentle and peaceful and do not fear him,” the defense’s bond motion said. “This means something.”

Sorvisto was released on personal recognizance. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for 1 p.m. April 29. The court granted the government’s motion for a waiver of the Speedy Trial Act; the time between now and April 29 will be excluded from time calculations under the act.