On May 2, 2024, a Georgia business owner, who had boasted about his participation in the violent assault against law enforcement during the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison. The offender, Jack Wade Whitton, was captured on video as he struck a police officer with a metal crutch and dragged him headfirst into a riotous crowd, an act he later described in a text message as having “fed him to the people.”
Whitton’s actions didn’t stop there. About 20 minutes after the initial attack, he attempted to pull a second officer into the throng of rioters. Additionally, he kicked at, threatened, and hurled a construction pylon at officers trying to repel the surge of supporters of then-President Donald Trump. One particularly chilling moment involved Whitton shouting, “You’re gonna die tonight!” at the officers after striking one of them with a riot shield.
Before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, the 33-year-old expressed remorse for what he described as “horrible” actions. “I tell you with confidence: I have changed,” Whitton told the judge. Despite his claim of having never been a “political person” or a troublemaker, the judge characterized the videos of Whitton’s aggression as “gruesome” and made it clear that he was out of control during the riot.
Prosecutors had originally sought a prison sentence of over eight years for Whitton, who owned his own fence-building company prior to his arrest in April 2021. They emphasized that Whitton actively sought opportunities to attack, leading or acting alone in his three documented assaults.
The sentencing of Whitton comes as more than 1,350 individuals have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. Over 850 have been sentenced, with terms ranging from several days to 22 years. The riot, which saw the defendants charged in the same attack as Whitton, included those who aided in dragging the officer into the mob before he was beaten with a flagpole and a stolen police baton.
That same day, another case was unsealed involving a Virginia man charged with assaulting police officers and an Associated Press photographer. David A. Marshall Jr., 57, of Alexandria, was arrested for his participation in the riot, showing the continued efforts of the Department of Justice to prosecute those involved in the attack.
Relevant articles:
– Man who bragged that he ‘fed’ an officer to the mob of Capitol rioters gets nearly 5 years in prison, The Associated Press, 05/03/2024
– Capitol Rioter Convicted After Judge Slams His Defense As ‘Gobbledygook’, Yahoo Singapore News, 05/01/2024
– Trump says he may free every Jan. 6 rioter. His team is eyeing ‘case-by-case’ pardons., NBC News, 04/30/2024
– Capitol Rioter Who Sprayed Police With Mace Gets 2 Years In Prison, Yahoo News Australia, 05/01/2024
– Ashland doctor pleads guilty to attacking police on Jan. 6, Boston.com, 05/02/2024