A Colorado Springs man was sentenced to seven months in prison after committing felonies and misdemeanors at the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
Tyler Earl Ethridge, 35, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras. He was convicted on September 8 of two crimes – obstructing an official proceeding and civil unrest.
His crimes include “entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a United States Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a building or Capitol grounds,” said a press release from the US Attorney’s Office.
Ethridge also owes $2,000 in restitution and must serve 24 months of supervised release.
Ethridge, a former pastor who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on July 8, 2022, is among more than 1,500 people charged following the Capitol riot.
On Jan. 6, 2021, Ethridge attended former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., before heading to the U.S. Capitol, the release said. It is detailed that he was responsible for helping dismantle the fencing of a closed area and encouraging others to clash with police from his elevated position on scaffolding. Later he himself resisted the police.
Ethridge spent about half an hour at the Capitol, according to the news release.
A X social media account under Ethridge’s name has documented his participation in the rebellion and related legal proceedings.
“I hope this doesn’t land me in jail,” Ethridge said a video shared in March. “I am officially a preacher. That’s what pastors need to do.”
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