Man Who Threatened Police With Ax Handle on Jan. 6 Gets Nearly 5 Years in Prison

A member of the Proud Boys extremist group who threatened police officers with an ax handle and breached the U.S. Capitol during the attack on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced on Friday to nearly five years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

Judge Timothy J. Kelly of U.S. District Court in Washington sentenced the man, William Chrestman, 51, of Olathe, Kan., to 55 months in prison. Mr. Chrestman pleaded guilty in October to felony charges of obstruction of an official proceeding and threatening a federal officer.

The judge also ordered Mr. Chrestman to pay $2,000 in restitution, and his prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a statement on Friday.

Mr. Chrestman was sentenced to less time in prison than the 63 months that prosecutors had recommended in a sentencing memo. They argued that Mr. Chrestman had “played a significant role during the riot due to his presence and conduct at pivotal moments during the day.”

Lawyers for Mr. Chrestman did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday. Prosecutors declined to comment.

Mr. Chrestman has been in jail since he was arrested in February 2021, and he will get credit for time served, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Mr. Chrestman was a member of the Kansas City chapter of the Proud Boys, and he made plans with other members to travel to Washington in January 2021 to show support for President Donald J. Trump and to protest against Congress for its certification of the Electoral College vote, prosecutors said.

After arriving in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors said, Mr. Chrestman joined other Proud Boys members and marched toward the U.S. Capitol while shouting: