Man who helped drag officer into crowd on Jan. 6 sentenced to prison

A Colorado man charged with aiding and abetting a law enforcement officer into the crowd during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was sentenced Thursday to more than five years in prison. according to To the prosecutor.

In addition to his sentence, Jeffrey Sabol, 53, was given three years of supervised release and ordered to pay more than $32,000 in restitution, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is said that He was convicted of three felonies, including obstruction of justice, related to his actions during the January 6 riot.

According to court documents, Sabol traveled from Colorado to Washington, D.C., on the day of the Jan. 6 riot to see former President Trump speak at the Stop the Steal rally on the Ellipse. He traveled with members of a “self-proclaimed ‘neighborhood watch’ group.”

“Before departing, group members discussed what they should bring with them,” the press release said. “On the advice of one group member, Mr. Sabol packed a helmet, trauma kit, buck knife, and zip ties.”

After the rally, he headed to the Capitol and joined the rioters, according to the release. At one point, he said, “two rioters dragged a law enforcement officer down the stairs, dragged him into the mob, and helped the mob beat the officer with a flagpole and baton.”

Sabol then “deleted text messages and other communications from his cell phone,” prosecutors wrote.

In an attempt to flee the U.S., he booked a flight to Switzerland, but was unable to board the plane and “rented a car and headed to Westchester, New York, where the FBI reported on January 11, 2021,” the documents said. He was arrested.” .

Sabor admitted during the hearing that he was “100 percent” guilty and said he would have apologized if the officers had been present, according to the Associated Press.

“I’ll accept whatever you give me,” Sabol told the judge, according to the Associated Press. “Honestly, I deserve it.”

More than 1,300 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the insurrection, according to the announcement. Of those charged, more than 800 were sentenced.