Capitol rioter sentenced to more than 4 years in prison for assaulting officer with flagpole

Arkansas truck driver Peter Francis Stager has been sentenced to over four years in prison for beating a police officer with a flagpole during the January 6 Capitol riot. Stager struck the Metropolitan Police Department officer multiple times with the flagpole as other rioters pulled the officer into the crowd outside the Capitol. The officer was among the over 100 police officers who were injured during the riot. Stager was sentenced by Judge Rudolph Contreras to four years and four months in prison, after pleading guilty to a felony charge of assaulting police with a dangerous weapon.

According to the Justice Department, Stager was part of a group that dragged the officer down the stairs of the Capitol building and forced him into a prone position, where they repeatedly struck him in the head and body with various objects. Stager also verbally attacked another officer who was seriously injured when he was dragged into the mob and beaten by other rioters. After the beatings, Stager was captured on video saying, “Every single one of those Capitol law enforcement officers, death is the remedy. That is the only remedy they get.”

During the sentencing, Stager’s defense lawyers argued that he did not know the man he was hitting with the flagpole was a police officer and believed him to be a member of ANTIFA. However, a confidential source provided investigators with a Twitter thread showing a photo of the officer with “METROPOLITAN POLICE” clearly visible on his uniform. Prosecutors described Stager’s actions as a prolonged, multi-assailant attack on police officers and stated that he showed a complete disrespect for the law.

Stager’s defense also claimed that he had tried to help others in the crowd who were injured after the riot erupted and that he immediately regretted his actions. They stated that Stager called his wife to tell her he was horrified by what he had done and that he planned to turn himself in upon returning to Arkansas. However, the prosecution argued for a prison sentence of six years and six months.

Over 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot, with over 620 of them pleading guilty. Stager was indicted with eight other defendants on charges related to the tunnel battle, and four of his co-defendants have also pleaded guilty to assault charges. Mason Courson, a Florida resident, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, while Justin Jersey, a Michigan resident, received a sentence of four years and three months. Michigan construction worker Logan Barnhart was sentenced to three years in prison, and Georgia business owner Jack Wade Whitton is scheduled to be sentenced on August 16.

The sentencing of Peter Francis Stager highlights the consequences faced by individuals involved in the violent attack on the Capitol. As more cases continue to be prosecuted, it serves as a reminder of the serious legal repercussions for those who participated in the riot.

Original Story at www.cbsnews.com – 2023-07-24 22:57:00