Google location data helps feds arrest McKinney man for allegedly storming U.S. Capitol

A McKinney man accused of storming the U.S. Capitol was given away by his mobile phone, which placed him at the scene, giving agents clues they needed to identify and arrest him, federal court records show.

Kevin Sam Blakely, 55, was captured in video footage standing inside and outside of the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 uprising and riot, according to an FBI complaint.

Google location data has helped the FBI make numerous arrests of other alleged rioters across the country.He is at least the 14th North Texan to be charged in connection with the violent attack on the Capitol that left one officer dead and about 140 others injured. Federal authorities have called it an act of domestic terrorism.

When reached by phone, Blakely said he could not comment. Court records say he was released on conditions and plans to hire an attorney.

Blakely, who has run a vehicle repair company, has been charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; knowingly engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

The FBI complaint doesn’t reference any tipsters alerting authorities to his alleged involvement, unlike in other cases. Instead, the case agent mentions finding Blakely’s phone location from data obtained from Google through a search warrant. The phone was linked to Blakely’s email address, the complaint says.

The agent then cross-referenced the suspect’s Facebook page to confirm his identity using a distinctive sweatshirt he was wearing, according to the complaint.

The agent explained in the complaint how it worked: Google estimates device location using GPS data, nearby Wi-Fi access points and Bluetooth beacons. Google estimates its location data is “accurate to within 10 meters,” the agent wrote.

Using that data, the agent found a device linked to Blakely that placed him at the Capitol from about 2:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the day of the riot.

The agent then found a public Facebook page for Blakely, which included a photo of him wearing a sweatshirt with a certain logo in front of his house that he also wore in photos of him at the Capitol, the complaint said.

Blakely was not wearing a mask or other face covering at the Capitol, making it easier to identify him, the agent said.

He has a 2016 drunken driving arrest and conviction, according to Collin County court records.

His McKinney business involved car dent and windshield repair, according to the Better Business Bureau.