Peter Francis Stager is expected to serve 4 years and 4 months in prison; he used a flagpole to hit a security officer on January 6, 2021
Peter Francis Stager faith condemned to 52 months (approximately 4 years and 4 months) in prison for beating a Metropolitan Police Department officer with a flagpole during the Riot at US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The Arkansas truck driver appeared in District of Columbia court on July 24, 2023, and told Judge Rudolph Contreras that he did not know it was a police officer, although he said, in a video, that for “every one of those Capitol police officers, death is the medicine.”. On February 17, 2023, he had already declared guilty.
Stager hit the official in the head at least 3 times as other protesters pulled him out of Congressional Headquarters. According to federal prosecutors, he also reportedly shouted profanities at another officer who was being dragged through the crowd and injured.
Stager’s defense attorneys said he was shocked by the whole situation and “has reached its breaking point” and was “going crazy” when he picked up the pole from the ground. They further said that as soon as the adrenaline wore off, the truck driver called his wife and stated that he would turn himself in upon returning to Arkansas.
On January 14, 2021, Stager turned himself in to police and was held at the Pulaski County Detention Center in the Washington jail. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of 6 years and 6 months. However, the lawyers argued about the 2 years and 5 months he already served, so the sentence was reduced to 4 years and 4 months.
The judge said he thought Stager needed to spend more time in jail to ensure he didn’t reoffend. In addition to the prison sentence, Contreras ordered 36 months of supervised release and restitution of US$2,000.
“In the 30 months since January 6, 2021, more than 1,069 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the violation of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals accused of assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing”reported the US Department of Justice.
Source: https://www.poder360.com.br/internacional/eua-condenam-homem-que-agrediu-policial-em-invasao-ao-capitolio/
