Ex-Boston K-9 officer who used chair as weapon on Jan. 6 gets 20-month sentence

A former Boston police dog officer who used a chair as a weapon during the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol was sentenced Friday to nearly a year in prison. according to Official.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Joseph Robert Fisher, 52, was sentenced to 20 months in prison, 24 months of probation and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

Fisher, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in February to two felony charges of disturbing the peace and assaulting a police officer.

According to the announcement, the defendant attended the “Stop the Steal” rally held by former President Trump on January 6, 2021, prior to the riot.

“After the rally, Fischer walked to the Capitol and entered the building at approximately 2:24 p.m., less than 10 minutes after the initial breach,” prosecutors wrote in court documents. “Once inside, Fischer walked to the basement and took photos and video as other rioters repeatedly yelled, ‘Stop the steal!'”

From there, he headed toward the lobby of the Capitol Visitor’s Center, where he noticed other rioters clashing with police, according to the release, and then tried to help his fellow rioters, who were using pepper spray and grabbing chairs to ram officers.

He was arrested by the FBI on charges in March.

Fisher’s case drew national attention last year when he petitioned the Supreme Court to have the obstruction of justice charges thrown out.

The Supreme Court responded to the challenge by scrutinizing the scope of federal obstruction of justice laws earlier this year, signaling that justices may be wary of prosecuting the Justice Department. Their ruling could have far-reaching implications for many of the Jan. 6 defendants and the former president.

In the 40 months since the attack on the Capitol, more than 1,400 people in nearly all 50 states have been charged with crimes related to the breach, including more than 500 people charged with assaulting or obstructing law enforcement, according to the release.