VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The seas of life have calmed for Virginia Beach charter boat captain Jake Hiles. On Jan. 6, 2021, he followed the mob that stormed the nation’s Capitol building. Minutes later, protestor Ashli Babbit was shot and killed by a police officer.
“As I was walking out, I will never forget, like I could see the trail of blood on the ground and I could see them carrying her out,” Hiles said.
Hiles pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor: parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He was ordered to serve two years of probation. The charter captain said that, after his arrest, he was blacklisted at local marinas, and then social media took aim.
Months before the 2020 election, Hiles told 10 On Your Side he would no longer allow Democrats to sail on his charter boat because of heated political rhetoric that would take place during fishing trips. As the nation prepares for the selection of the next president, Hiles said the events of Jan. 6 continue to roil his business.
“Speaking from a business standpoint, for a while you know, people would see about me in the media, and it’s very easy to associate my name with my business name,” Hiles said. “I received thousands of negative fake reviews on Google, TripAdvisor, or any of the sites where I would get business from new customers. People would see me in the media and go leave fake reviews there.”
The Hampton Roads native said he was hit by a different type of attack this summer in Virginia Beach.
“I had a friend that was in town at the end of June, beginning of July, and we came down to the beach,” Hiles said. “When we walked into one of the places that I used to go a lot, we got jumped on and they called me a racist and a January Sixer and a terrorist and all this kind of stuff.”
This veteran charter boat captain said since Jan. 6, 2021, he has lost thousands of dollars in potential income, and attorney’s fees have topped six figures. Earlier this year a federal judge dismissed a $100 million lawsuit Hiles filed against CNN that accused the news organization of defamation. Hiles told 10 On Your Side he would appeal the judge’s decision.
Hiles and his fiancée have wedding plans for next year; the couple hopes 2025 will also bring unity to the nation.
“I never condone violence,” Hiles said. “At the end of the day, we’re all Americans. Whether you agree or disagree, we’re all out there for the same thing. We all want the same thing, and what’s good for one of us is good for all of us.”
