Former Hardin County deputy convicted in connection to J6 riot at U.S. Capitol

Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read
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A former Hardin County Sheriff's Office deputy was convicted on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges in federal court Tuesday in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Joseph Irwin, 43 of Cecilia, was convicted of three felonies, including obstruction of an official proceeding, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Additionally, Irwin was convicted of three misdemeanor charges — entering and remaining on the floor of Congress, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

He will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss on Aug. 9, according to the release.

An investigation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation determined Irwin entered the Capitol with John Joseph Richter, 39, of Port Charlotte, Florida. Irwin banged a pole on the ground and yelled claims about the 2020 presidential election "at the top of his lungs," according to the release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. While on the Senate floor, Irwin and Richter sat in senators' desks and had their photographs taken by others in the room.

"The men left the Senate Chamber and the Capitol building only after Metropolitan Police Department Officers eventually directed them out," the release stated.

Earlier that day, Irwin "aggressively smashed his pole on the ground in a threatening manner" in front of a group of police officers who had just arrived on the Capitol grounds, according to the release.

Irwin, who served as a Hardin County deputy as recently as 2015, was arrested by FBI officials in Cecilia on Aug. 17, 2021.

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Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@gannett.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Former Hardin County deputy convicted in relation to J6 Capitol attack