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Tim Arvidsonpardon

Jan 20, 2025

Updated Jun 16, 2026
Net worth
Unknown
Crimes
january 6, weapons, post pardon, other
Convicted of
Jan. 6 Capitol grounds participation (never federally prosecuted); first-degree murder and menacing after allegedly shooting neighbor Robert Dougher (May 2026)
Original sentence
Jan. 6: never federally charged; Colorado: first-degree murder and menacing charges pending (May 2026)
Time served
N/A

Background

Timothy "Tim" Arvidson, of Colorado Springs, participated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and documented the event on social media, but federal court records show no prosecution for his riot conduct. He ran unsuccessfully in the 2024 Republican primary for Colorado Senate District 2 and later served as chair of the Castle Rock Election Commission, where he promoted debunked election-fraud claims. Lawfare and other outlets have cited his case as an example of subsequent criminality by Jan. 6 participants who were never formally charged by the Justice Department.

The Case

Arvidson traveled to Washington for the January 6, 2021, rally and posted photos and video from the march toward the Capitol, describing the experience in Facebook posts as "amazing" and asserting the election had been stolen. He said he and his wife were on Capitol grounds but did not enter the building, and that the FBI later came to his door after a relative alerted investigators. His participation was part of the broader assault that disrupted certification of the presidential election and damaged public trust in democratic institutions.

Before the riot, Arvidson had a lengthy record of civil and criminal cases in Colorado dating back decades, including prior convictions for impaired driving and drug offenses, according to Gazette reporting. After the riot he remained active in local politics and election administration while continuing to promote conspiracy theories about voting systems.

On May 24, 2026, Colorado Springs police responded to a report of a shooting in the 1900 block of Calle De Seville. According to arrest affidavits summarized by the Gazette and Colorado Times Recorder, Arvidson approached a group of neighbors preparing to leave for a hiking trip, accused two of them of dealing drugs, and pulled a handgun from behind his back during a verbal confrontation. Witnesses told investigators that Arvidson fired one round at 43-year-old Robert Dougher, who later died of his injuries; police reported no other armed individuals at the scene. Surveillance footage described in court papers showed Arvidson walking toward a home registered to his wife with a gun in hand after the shooting. Arvidson told officers he acted in self-defense, claiming Dougher had a gun; investigators said body-camera footage captured him confessing to the shooting while asserting the victim was armed. The killing terrorized neighbors and ended a life; if proved, it represents lethal violence by a Jan. 6 participant after years of public extremism and firearms carry in his neighborhood.

The Pardon

Arvidson was not individually named on the January 20, 2025, clemency warrant list because he had never been charged in federal court for January 6 offenses. President Trump's blanket proclamation that day nonetheless granted pardons for certain offenses relating to the Capitol attack and directed the attorney general to dismiss pending indictments tied to the riot, which Lawfare notes could have curtailed any investigation of participants like Arvidson who had not yet been charged. The day after the proclamation, Arvidson posted on Facebook that he felt as if a "Dark Cloud" had been lifted over him and his wife regarding their Jan. 6 presence.

Sources