Rodney Milstreed

Rodney was born in 1966 in Maryland. He loves lifting weights, staying healthy, and encouraging others to do the same.

He attended Westminster High School in Westminster, Maryland, where he completed a two-year vocational-technical program. After graduation, he went on to a four-year apprenticeship in the machinist trade. Despite the difficulties of the trade, Rodney achieved Master Machinist status within ten years.

As a patriotic American, Rodney took great pride in utilizing his skills for military defense projects. Most recently, he was employed in the gas and oil industry by a company based in Seattle, Washington. Valerie Moorefield, Rodney’s girlfriend of over nine years, describes him as a “hard-working man, who minds his own business, and has always been there for me.”  Because Rodney valued hard work and personal responsibility, he was attracted to conservative values.

On January 6, Rodney traveled from his home in Finksburg, Maryland, to attend the “March to Save America” rally in Washington, D.C. Living only sixty miles away, he took the Maryland Area Commuter Train and was surprised to see it was full of patriots, just like himself, heading to the rally. Upon arriving at the rally and joining the crowd at the Ellipse, he said, “I felt full of patriotism like never before. It was the most patriots I’ve seen at one time and in one place. It was surreal.”

With the energy of the crowd escalating, Rodney made his way to the front of the West Plaza barricade. Along with others, Rodney attempted to break through the police barriers.  Likely as a response to the Capitol Police barrage to tear gas and rubber bullets, Rodney threw a flagpole, “javelin-style,” toward the police line, which glanced off an officer’s helmet. On another occasion, a police officer hurled a flashbang grenade into the crowd; Rodney, aware of the potential for injury and the intense heat it could emit upon detonation, swiftly grabbed the grenade and tossed it back towards the police line.

During this time, Rodney and others identified a photographer from AP News, a left-wing independent news outlet, who was there to cover the rally. The photographer was dressed “antifa style,” which is black clothing, a helmet, and a gas mask. Along with other rallygoers, Rodney grabbed the photographer and insisted he leave the premises.

It wasn’t until four months later that Rodney was arrested. On May 22, 2021, while on a business trip in Brighton, Colorado, Rodney stepped out of his hotel room, and twelve FBI agents with AR-15s came charging at him, pointing their weapons at his head. With a shotgun in his face, he was quickly handcuffed and then taken into the Marshall’s office in downtown Denver, CO, for questioning. Being classified as a high-profile prisoner, he was taken to a detention center and put in solitary confinement.  The UN has called this a “form of torture” as most people suffer lasting trauma from extended solitary confinement.  “Those were some very dark days for me mentally. I thought about ending my life. I was begging them to release me into the general population. After ninety-six days in the hole, they finally did.” After 11 months, they transferred him to a D.C. jail. While detained, an inmate threw human waste in the door to his cell. He also witnessed other inmates stabbed.

Rodney felt he had no other option but to plead guilty, which he ultimately did.  On April 14, 2023, Rodney was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg to 60 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution for assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon and receipt and possession of an unregistered firearm, both felonies, and assault by striking, beating, or wounding, a misdemeanor. Rodney said, “I never thought in my wildest dreams I would get locked up, have my home raided by the FBI, and lose all my belongings, my fiancée, my house, and my dog. It is all too much to swallow.”

In her latest update on a fundraising page for Rodney, Valerie writes, “Rodney has been moved to FCI Loretto, where he will serve his sentence. This is three hours away from our home, and I am now trying to set up my visit with him. He is okay and doing his best to keep the faith that things will change on November Election Day!!! These guys, our J6ers, appreciate it!! Please donate if you can help. Thanks To All of You!”

You can help his family out by giving to their givesendgo fund: GiveSendGo | J6/Family in Custody

Rodney needs your prayers and encouragement.

Letters can be sent here:

FCI Loretto Inmate Mailing Address:

Rodney Kenneth Milstreed,

#02596-510

FCI Loretto

Federal Correctional Institution,

P.O. Box 1000

Cresson, PA 16630

                                   

Birthday is 9/29

Please note: Prisoner mail is reviewed by guards. Please keep messages of encouragement to a general and/or religious nature. For example, do not mention the events of Jan. 6th or other current events under criminal investigation.

Rodney wrote this on his Give Send Go page:

Hello, my patriotic Americans,

My name is Rodney Milstreed. I’m a 56-year-old male machinist by trade. I went to Vo-Tech at Westminster High School for two years and served a 4-year apprenticeship to learn the trade. It was a very hard trade to master, and it took ten years to do so.

I worked on military defense projects for a small shop in Maryland. I was involved in developing and manufacturing the radar system for the F/A-18 and F/A-22 fighter jets. Before Jan 6, I worked in the gas and oil industry for a company based in Seattle, Washington. I travel all over the country.

On the morning of May 22, 2021, @ 5:00 am, I was walking to my truck, and I heard a door open in the parking lot. I saw 12 or so men running at me, all dressed in full military dress with AR -15 ‘. The guy in front puts a shotgun in my face, and ”BANG” I thought he shot me and missed. But it was a flash bang. I was cuffed very quickly. Then it hit me, and it was the FBI. They had an ambulance close by in case I went into cardiac arrest. I think they wanted me to. They thought it was funny how scared I was. They took me to the Marshall’s office in downtown Denver, CO. for questioning. From there, I went to Douglas County detention center. I was classified as a high-profile prisoner and put in solitary confinement. This was a very difficult time for me. I was in there for 96 days. I struggled mentally. I didn’t understand what they were trying to do to me. Maybe break me mentally. Part 2

I thought about ending my life. These were some very dark days for me. mentally. I continue to push on one day at a time. I was begging them to let me out into the general population. I would get out 2 hours a day to move around and call family. The rest of the time, I would read to try to keep my sanity. It was not easy to maintain a good disposition, but I managed. All I could do was to tell myself to keep it together day after day. After 96 days in the hole, as they called it, they let me talk to a doctor. I told him how I started to hear voices telling me to figure out a way to take my life; it was horrible. I never want to go through that again ever. He put me on medication to help with the psychotic thoughts. A couple of weeks later, they moved me to the general population. What a relief to be able to talk to people. I got my sanity back and soon after got off the medication. I was still on a 22-hour lockdown. After 11 months, they moved me to a federal detention center. It was not a good place . It was a very volitant facility. It was run by the prisoners. I was there for 11 days. I seen three fights each one was bloody, but the worst of all was the Spanish people. I seen 3 of them stabbed and laying on the floor.

Soon after, I traveled to D.C. jail. When I got there, I was in the hole again for 12 days of lockdown. (this is still part 2 ) This is where an inmate threw human feces and piss in the trap door to my cell. He was very inhumane towards me. I think the guards were in on it like they directed him to do so. They were very malicious in their ways. They would skip me on meals, and I would complain to no avail. Now I knew the correctional officers were involved. They would not move me to C-2-B with the other J6ers for 11 days. I should have only been in intake for a week.

I went to D.C. for President Trump’s top-the-steal rally on January 6. I live 60 miles away so I took the Marc commuters train. I got on the train @ 6:30 am. It was full of patriots heading to the rally. I felt full of patriotism like never before. When I got to the ellipse, I saw the most people that I had ever seen in one place before; it was surreal. I walked around and looked at all the people until President Trump spoke. What a sight to see. After the speech, at about 1:00 p.m., we went to the capitol. It is about a 15-minute walk. I was next to an older gentleman in a suit. So I asked him what he thought about all of this. He told me he had been waiting for something like this for a long time. He also told me he was a Navy veteran of 40 years and retired as an admiral. He told me he wrote a book (The Bigger Picture) about his take on what was happening in America. He gave me his e-mail address and sent me a copy. His name was Marshall Wood, also known as (Woody). A very knowledgeable man he was. After a 15-minute walk and talk, I had tears in my eyes. Read the book, and you will understand what he said. 

I never thought in my wildest dreams I would get locked up and have my home raided by the FBI. I lost all of my belonging, my fiancée, my house, and my dog. It was all too much to swallow.

My regards Rodney Milstreed