A Georgia business owner was recently sentenced to nearly five years in prison for his role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Jack Wade Whitton, 34, of Locust Grove, attacked a police officer during the riot by hitting him with a metal crutch and dragging him into a mob of rioters on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace.
Whitton was arrested in April 2021 and charged with several offenses related to his attacks on law enforcement during the insurrection. In a text message, he boasted that he had “fed him to the people.” However, videos of his violent actions disproved his claims.
The judge in the case described the videos of Whitton attacking police as “gruesome” and noted that his behavior was out of control during the riot. Along with his co-defendant Justin Jersey, Whitton’s actions were said to have ignited the violence that followed on the Lower West Terrace.
Over 1,350 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot, and over 850 have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment. Whitton’s sentencing serves as a reminder of the consequences of participating in violent acts during the insurrection.