Douglas Harrington became the first Wyoming person to get prison time for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol after being sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday.
Harrington, 69, was sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge James E. Boasberg to 40 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.
During the Jan. 6 riot, Harrington swung a flagpole with a metal ball attached to the end of it at police officers.
He was previously convicted of two felony charges of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, and five misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
Boasberg, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, convicted Harrington after a three-day bench trial in July.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office argued that Harrington helped disrupt a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Harrington’s attorneys had argued that the charges brought against their client were too vague, broad and subjective, and that the certification of votes was not an official proceeding of Congress.
The FBI Washington Field Office identified Harrington through open-source videos taken Jan. 6.
What Happened?
The riot ensued after former President Donald Trump gave the final speech of his presidency and shortly before Congress was scheduled to convene to certify the electoral count of the 2020 presidential election.
William Whitfield, a special agent assigned to the FBI through its Rock Springs Resident Agency, assisted with the investigation and outlined the allegations in the criminal complaint against Harrington and his warrant for arrest.
The person eventually identified in multiple photos and videos as Harrington was wearing a cowboy hat, goggles, gas mask and a backpack, and also brandished a flagpole with a metal ball on the end, which was used to strike law enforcement officers on the U.S. Capitol grounds Jan. 6.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Harrington approached a line of police officers on the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol and challenged them with provocative gestures. He then used the bottom part of the flagpole to swiftly strike in the direction of an officer on the line. In response, an officer deployed chemical spray at Harrington.
While this was going on, another protester approached a police line near Harrington, and police officers concentrated their efforts on them to push the other person away.
While the officers were distracted, Harrington raised his flagpole to strike at them.
A police officer quickly intervened, moved toward Harrington and extended a police baton. Harrington swung the flagpole at the officer, striking the officer near the left hand and wrist and on the helmet. He continued to swing the flagpole at the police line two more times before retreating into the crowd.
The FBI finally arrested Harrington in August 2023.
A confidential source reported Harrington as being the person in various videos taken at the event, according to Whitfield’s affidavit.
In social media comments, Harrington described his actions Jan. 6 as a “peaceful protest.”
Bigger Picture
Laramie resident August Raymond Garcia was indicted and arrested for his alleged role in the event in September, accused of holding a door open for rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and grabbing and pushing a Capitol police officer while spending nearly 30 minutes in the building.
Former Cody resident Andrew Galloway was sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution for climbing through a broken window at the U.S. Capitol and remaining in the building for about 11 minutes during the riot.
On Monday, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith asked to dismiss the criminal case against Trump for allegedly trying to steal the 2020 election.
There’s a chance that Harrington’s time in prison is short-lived. Trump has indicated on numerous occasions that he will pardon those convicted for their participation in the Capitol assault, and consider pardoning every Jan. 6 defendant. He’s set to take office again Jan. 20.
More than 1,561 people have been charged from nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reports that an investigation remains ongoing.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
