During a new interview with The Metal Voice, former ICED EARTH singer Stu Block talked about Jon Schaffer‘s involvement in the violent protest at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 that left several dead, including a Capitol police officer.
In April, Schaffer agreed to plead guilty for his role in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. As part of the plea deal, he is expected to enter into a cooperation agreement with the government.
The two charges he pled guilty to were obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The first charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the second carries up to a 10-year prison term.
Block fronted ICED EARTH since 2011 and officially quit the band in February, stating at the time it was “the best decision in many ways” for his “personal and professional growth going forward.”
Stu now said: “We all make bad decisions, man, and [Jon] f*cked up real bad. And I’m sure he knows it, and I think everybody with half a brain knows it… The line that was crossed with going in and all that kind of stuff… He had so much going on. It was a shame. It hurts, ’cause you’ve got plans, and all of a sudden, you can’t tell someone what to do — you can’t tell a very strong-willed individual what to do; you can’t. And so it would be lost words.”
“At the end of the day, I don’t hate him,” he continued. “I’m not writhing in hate for him. I feel sad. I feel bad that everything went down the way it did. And maybe one day we’ll talk. I don’t know. I’m not too sure. But I think he knows that I still have a place in my heart for him, because I’ve seen that man do a lot of amazing, wonderful things for people. But I just wanna move on. And that’s what it is.”
You can watch full interview below.
