
Mountlake Terrace resident Matthew Stickney has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021.
Details in the FBI warrant for Stickney’s arrest show his travel plans, timeframe and internet searches alluding to his intentions at the Capitol.
The 34-year-old Stickney didn’t just leave a digital trail for investigators to follow; he left road signs pointing to his intent before and after the event.
In the FBI’s statement of facts to U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey, FBI agents received information from Google through an Oct. 19, 2021, subpoena showing the locations of Stickney’s two cell phones and his internet search history.
Digital footprint

According to the FBI report, Stickney had two cell phones with him during the Jan. 6 riot, both linked to him through different Gmail accounts. All the addresses are variations of his name, and the Google Voice greeting says, “Matt Stickney.”
One was Stickney’s personal phone (Device 1); the other was his work phone (Device 2) from Alexandria Real Estate, headquartered in Pasadena, California. He was a maintenance technician with the company from August 2020 to July 2022 and was listed as the contact person for that phone number.

The data from Stickney’s phones showed he was within the U.S. Capitol Grounds and could provide a map of his movements between 2:29 p.m. and 4:04 p.m. EST.
Further, the information showed Stickney’s internet searches on Device 1, ranging from travel plans to tear gas.
On Dec. 24, he searched for and viewed the webpage for the Hilton Garden Inn in Washington, D.C. and “How do I take my gun with me on a flight?” Followed by “Is weed legal in D.C.?” on Dec. 27.
As Jan. 6 approached, Stickney viewed the webpage for the AC Hotel by Marriott in downtown Washington, D.C. as well as searching if he could bring a gas mask, walkie-talkies, and a knife on a plane.
After the Capitol riot, Stickney searched for:
— Hands burning from pepper spray. Jan. 6
— HD security cameras. Jan. 7
— CS Gas. Jan. 8.
— U.S. Capitol. Jan. 10.
A grand jury subpoena to Delta Airlines connected Stickney’s email address to flights he purchased on Dec. 24, 2020. He took a Jan. 4 red-eye flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to a layover at the Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, then arrived at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport) on the morning of Jan. 5.
The information placed Stickney in the vicinity during the riot, showing his flights departing from Baltimore at 11:01 a.m. on Jan. 7 for his layover in Atlanta before flying back to Sea-Tac.
The FBI confirmed Stickney was a passenger on those flights.
Social media and surveillance

Social media and surveillance cameras also gave visual proof of Stickney’s attendance at the riot,
FBI agents used Stickney’s driver’s license photo and his public LinkedIn profile compared to a video on a user’s Instagram story at the riot that showed a person resembling Stickney inside the Capitol building.
The agency then contacted a personal associate of Stickney with the image for confirmation. The associate said they could not know for certain due to the image quality but stated that it looked like Stickney.
The FBI agent who requested the warrant reviewed the United States Capitol Police surveillance and Metropolitan Police Department body camera footage.
“I have observed Matthew Lawrence Stickney among a large group of rioters who committed illegal acts on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol as part of the January 6, 2021, riots there,” the FBI agent said.
“Specifically, he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol grounds and building despite clearly marked signage and numerous other indicators that the area was closed to the public,” the agent continued.
Capitol Police surveillance footage shows Stickney entering the U.S. Capitol building through the Parliamentarian Door at 2:45 p.m. EST, and he can be seen in several rooms and hallways throughout the site.

At 3:01 p.m. EST, Metropolitan Police body cam footage shows Stickney leaning a flag against the door of the Parliamentarian’s Office and leaving it before pulling up his hood and exiting the building.
About one hour later, records showed that Stickney searched on his phone for a meme with the keywords “boy, that escalated quickly.”
The FBI agent noted, “‘Boy, that escalated quickly’ is a reference from the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy to a fight that got out of hand, resulting in serious injury and death to some participants.”
The FBI concluded in its warrant request that Stickney knowingly entered and remained in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority to do so. Further, he knowingly did so to “impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions.”
KIRO TV in Seattle contacted Stickney’s father, Larry Stickney, who works as an aide for Pierce County District 3 Councilmember Amy Cruver. The TV report described Larry Stickney as “a well-known, outspoken conservative.”
“My son is a fine young man with a strong sense of right and wrong,” he told KIRO TV. “I couldn’t be any prouder of him than I am today. I’ll go through hell and back if that’s what it takes to help him and his family through this difficult time.”
— By Rick Sinnett
Oh my, like father, like son. “This difficult time” must mean getting caught with your hands, arms and whatever in the cookie jar. Good luck. I’m not sure what defense works for this type of action. I can only imagine.
Three years later, and we finally enter the “finding out” stage. The wheels of justice move slow, but they still move.