It’s been six weeks since Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer was arrested by Indiana police for his involvement in the U.S. Capitol insurrection.
However, according to a new report, he is still being held in an Indiana jail as he waits to be extradited to Washington, D.C.
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Since Jon Schaffer was identified as one of the Pro-Trump supporters who breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, a lot has happened. After appearing on the FBI’s wanted list, he was officially arrested by Indiana police on Jan. 17. Currently, the Iced Earth and Demons & Wizards musician is facing six federal charges. According to Indiana police, Schaffer was one of the individuals who sprayed Capitol police with bear spray.
At the end of January, we learned that Schaffer was being extradited to Washington, D.C. after his legal team agreed to handle all further court proceedings there. Soon after, he was placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshals in the Indiana jail. However, it now looks like Schaffer is still being held in jail six weeks after his arrest.
According to The Republic, Schaffer is still waiting to be extradited. Indianapolis law enforcement confirmed Schaffer is being held in Indiana’s Marion County Jail to reporter Jordan Morey. So far, Schaffer has been in front of a federal magistrate twice but has chosen to stay in custody.
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At this time, it’s unknown when the metal guitarist may finally be extradited to Washington, D.C. for further court proceedings. Until then, let’s get you up to speed on the other developments in Schaffer’s life since his arrest.
Earlier this month, we learned that Schaffer was still being held in Indiana’s Marion County Jail nearly a month after his arrest. As it turns out, he is the only Indiana citizen arrested for the U.S. Capitol insurrection that actually voted in the 2020 election.
As well, Iced Earth’s Stu Block and Luke Appleton have confirmed they are no longer part of the band. Soon after, reports emerged that guitarist Jake Dreyer may have also parted ways with the project. This all arrived shortly before new security footage from the Capitol insurrection was released. In the video, Schaffer can allegedly be seen challenging police as the mob breached the Capitol.
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Shortly after Schaffer’s arrest in January, Iced Earth released a statement denouncing the events that transpired at the U.S. Capitol last month. However, they failed to address Schaffer’s involvement in the insurrection. Additionally, Block came under fire following an attempt to clarify his stance on the riots after a now-deleted post seemingly showed he was in support of the U.S. Capitol breach.
Schaffer’s Iced Earth bandmates aren’t the only ones who have parted ways with him in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Schaffer’s Demons & Wizards collaborator Hansi Kürsch confirmed he is no longer involved in the musical project. He shared a statement with Rock Hard which has been translated from German.
“I told Jon and Century Media [Demons & Wizards’ record label] on Monday that I was leaving the Demons & Wizards project with immediate effect. My collaboration with Jon on Demons & Wizards is over.”
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As well, in mid-January, it was brought to light that Century Media may be taking action following Schaffer’s arrest. Both of Schaffer’s projects – Iced Earth and Demons & Wizards – have disappeared from the label’s online roster. Although the bands no longer appear on the label’s current roster, they are also missing from the roster of former artists. Additionally, both of the band’s merch is no longer available on Century Media’s webstore.
What are your reactions to Jon Schaffer still being in federal custody? Let us know in the comments below.