A Colorado man charged with dragging a law enforcement officer into a crowd during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was sentenced to more than five years in jail on Thursday, according to prosecutors.
In addition to the term, Jeffrey Sabol, 53, was given three years of supervised release and forced to pay more than $32,000 in restitution, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. He has been convicted of three felony offenses, including interference with an official procedure, in connection with his actions during the Jan. 6 disturbance.
According to court filings, Sabol came from Colorado to Washington, D.C. to attend former President Trump’s “Stop the Steal” protest at the Ellipse on the day of the January 6 disturbance. He accompanied other members of a “self-described ‘neighborhood watch’ group.”
“Before leaving, the group members discussed what to bring with them,” the press release read. “On the advice of one group member, Sabol packed a helmet, a trauma kit, a buck knife, and zip ties.”
Following the demonstration, he went to the Capitol and participated in the riot, according to the release. Towards the end of the incident, he “assisted two rioters in dragging a law enforcement officer down the steps and into” the middle of a crowd, when “rioters beat the officer with a flagpole and a baton.”
Later, Sabol “deleted text messages and other communications from his cell phone,” prosecutors stated.
He also attempted to depart the United States by booking a flight to Switzerland but was unable to board, so he “rented a car and drove toward Westchester, New York, where the FBI arrested him on Jan. 11, 2021,” according to records.
According to The Associated Press, Sabol confirmed during his sentencing that he is “100 percent” guilty and stated that if the cops had been present, he would have apologized.
“I accept whatever it is you hand me,” Sabol told the judge, according to the AP. “I’ll be honest: I deserve it.”
More than 1,300 people have been charged with federal crimes relating to the insurgency, according to the announcement. More than 800 of those charged have already been sentenced.