First rioters to breach a police perimeter during Capitol siege are sentenced to prison terms

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four men who were among the first rioters to assault police officers and the first to breach a security perimeter during the attack on the U.S. Capitol were sentenced on Thursday to prison terms ranging from one year of intermittent confinement over weekends to eight years behind bars.

Before handing down the punishments, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb decried misinformation being spread in the public about the riot and efforts to downplay the violence that left more than 100 police officers injured.

Cobb said the “temperature remains too high,” citing threats against public officials and the apparent assassination attempts targeting former President Donald Trump. The judge said it “scares” her to think about what could happen after the next election.

“Not in my lifetime have I seen a situation where the peaceful transfer of power was threatened like it was on Jan. 6,” she said.

Stephen Randolph, a certified nursing assistant, was sentenced to eight years in prison. James Grant, who was accepted to the University of Alabama’s School of Law before his arrest, was sentenced to three years. Jason Blythe, a delivery driver, was sentenced to two years and six months. Paul Johnson, who owns a tree removal business, was sentenced to one year of intermittent confinement over weekends followed by two years of home confinement.

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