A Wichita man has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for taking part in the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Thirty-eight-year-old Michael Eckerman was accused of illegally entering the Capitol grounds and shoving a Capitol officer during the 2021 riot.
Eckerman pleaded guilty last November in the District of Columbia to assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers. He was arrested on September 20th, 2021.
A news release from the U.S. Department of Justice said after Eckerman illegally entered the Capitol grounds, he “observed rioters fighting with police officers outside the Capitol and encouraged them by yelling at the officers that they were ‘traitors to the country. He and others then walked through scaffolding and up a set of steps leading to the Upper West Terrace.”
Inside the building, the DOJ said Eckerman participated in three separate breaches of police lines, eventually pushing his way to the front of a group trying to get past a small line of officers.
[ photo: Reuters ]
