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California man gets 4 months for smashing Capitol window during Jan. 6 riot

The man called his mother in tears after police had told him to leave the Capitol grounds.

(CN) — A California man was sentenced to four months in prison for smashing multiple panes of a window of the Capitol building during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot to prevent Congress from confirming President Joe Biden's election.

Hunter Ehmke, 21, will also have to pay $2,821 in restitution for the damage to the window, according to a statement Friday from the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Columbia.

Ehmke was part of the crowd that had gathered outside the rotunda door on the east side of the Capitol building. While some of the crowd were forcing their way into the building through the door, Ehmke jumped on the ledge of a large window of an office inside the building and kicked and smashed five of the window panes. He pleaded guilty to destroying government property in January.

In the 16 months since Jan. 6, 2021, riot, more than 800 individuals have been arrested for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 250 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the statement.

Ehmke, from Glendora in Southern California, had flown to Washington on Jan. 5 and rented an Airbnb for a trip funded by his mother to attend Donald Trump's "Save America" rally the next day and to sightsee, according to his lawyer's sentencing memorandum. He joined the crowd that went from the rally to the Capitol.

Police grabbed and handcuffed him after he had smashed the window but had to let him go because they were outnumbered by the angry crowd. They did however take his driver's license and told him to leave immediately.

"Mr. Ehmke did so, and after clearing the Capitol grounds, called his mother in tears," his lawyer said in a request for probation rather than prison time. "After multiple attempts to calm him and understand what had just occurred, his mother told Mr. Ehmke to return to his Airbnb. Mr. Ehmke followed his mother’s direction, found his way back to the Airbnb and locked himself inside. He did not emerge from his lodgings until January 8, when he left for the airport and returned to his family home in California."

The four-month sentence conformed to the prosecution's request. Although Ehmke didn't enter the Capitol and left when told by police, his destructive acts at the front of the mob contributed to the overall violence and events of Jan. 6, they said,

"His actions show an overall willingness to engage in destructive conduct and to incite others," according to the governments sentencing request. "He was not merely another member of the crowd that day, nor was he just following the lead of others at the Capitol that day. Instead, Ehmke avoided the police officers by heading to an unguarded window try to get into the Capitol and encouraged others to follow."

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Categories / Criminal, Government, National, Politics

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