A 73-year-old man named Dale Huttle, hailing from Indiana, participated in the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6. He carried an American flag upside down on a flagpole and proceeded to use it as a weapon to stab security guards at the Capitol. As a consequence of his actions, Dale Huttle has been sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment.
On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced the details of Huttle’s sentence. In December, Huttle admitted to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain police with a dangerous weapon and causing serious physical harm. As part of his sentence, Huttle will serve a 30-month term, be placed on supervised probation for two years, and pay a restitution fee of just over $3,600.
Law&Crime has recently exposed that despite hundreds of restitution payments over the last three years, the damage caused to the Capitol is yet to be fully compensated. Shockingly, the majority of the estimated $3 million in damages still remains unpaid and will be borne by the U.S. taxpayers.
According to authorities, Huttle traveled all the way from Crown Point, Indiana to Washington D.C. to take part in the “Stop the Steal” rally in support of former President Trump. Soon after, he joined a group of protestors marching towards the Capitol. Accompanying him was his nephew, Matthew Huttle, who is 41 years old and also from Indiana. It’s worth noting that Matthew Huttle was sentenced to six months in prison last November for trespassing into a restricted building or grounds and had already agreed to a plea deal.
As they approached the Capitol building, Matthew Huttle turned to his uncle and whispered, “We’re going to see if we can get inside,” according to federal prosecutors. Initially hesitant due to the overwhelming presence of law enforcement guarding the building, Huttle eventually decided to proceed with the plan.
According to the police, Matthew Huttle informed his uncle about their impending stop, saying, “We’re going to be stopped here.” He further added, “I don’t think we’ll get close. We need to go up the side…A lot of cops.”
However, his uncle remained undeterred by this setback.
The 70-year-old man exclaimed, “We must hurry to the Capitol building and put them all in jail!” He firmly believed that they had enough people to carry out this mission.
During his plea, Huttle confessed in the statement of offense that he and his nephew joined a group of rioters near the west front of the Capitol at around 2 p.m. Matthew Huttle, on his cell phone video, captured the scene and observed that tear gas was still present in the air.
As the Huttles approached the police, members of the crowd shouted, urging them to show their patriotism. “Stay true to your American roots! Someone is trying to steal our country,” they yelled. Some even threatened the officers, stating that they couldn’t stop the masses. “We’re taking this house, and you promised not to do that,” one person declared. Accusations of working for the enemy were also thrown at the police.
During the Capitol riots, the rioters attempted to breach the police line by forcefully grabbing bike rack barriers located on the western front of the building. A tug-of-war situation ensued between the rioters and the police over possession of the barriers. According to government lawyers, Huttle, one of the rioters, was seen prominently at the front of the group, continuously brandishing his flagpole in a threatening manner.
Dale Huttle wasted no time as soon as the blocker was out of his way, he charged straight at the police and dealt a blow to one officer’s stomach with his flagpole.
Huttle struck the officer with his stick, causing him to lose his balance and fall down a flight of concrete and marble stairs. As a result of the fall, the officer suffered a slipped disc in his back, which has left him in ongoing pain and requiring regular treatment, according to prosecutors.
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