Kentucky native Michael Sparks who was the first protester to enter the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 was sentenced to 53 months in prison by US District Judge Kelly on August 27.
Sparks was arrested by the FBI on January 19, 2021, in Elizabethtown. Following a jury trial, he was convicted on March 1 of obstruction of an official proceeding and civil disorder.
The jury also found Sparks guilty of several misdemeanors, including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and entering a restricted building.
Video surveillance from inside the U.S. Capitol building on 6 January 2021 showed Sparks entering through the window and jumping down to the floor at about 2:13 p.m.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that in the days leading up to the events of January 6th, Sparks wrote on the social media site Parler, “We want a civil war to be clear.” On Jan. 3, 2021, Sparks posted to Facebook that, “It’s time to drag them out of Congress. It’s tyranny[.]”
In the 43 months since 6 January 2021, more than 1,488 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 550 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony.
