Holt man pleads guilty to assaulting police during Jan. 6 attack at U.S. Capitol
WASHINGTON — A Holt man pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to assaulting a police officer while attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Logan James Barnhart, 41, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and possible fines for his role in the insurrection, which disrupted a joint session of Congress gathered to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
Authorities arrested Barnhart in August 2021. A federal district court judge will determine his sentencing March 9, 2023.
Court records show Barnhart was released on a personal recognizance bond when he was charged. He's subject to GPS monitoring and restricted to his home except for work.
Barnhart was also charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct and disruptive conduct in a restricted area and engaging in physical violence in a restricted place. The court dismissed the remaining charges as part of a plea agreement.
Barnhart's attorney, Michelle Peterson, a federal public defender for the District of Columbia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Barnhart was part of a mob that confronted police at the capitol's archway at about 4:27 p.m., the release said. As another rioter struck a Metropolitan Police Department officer with a crutch, Barnhart grabbed the officer by the neck of his ballistic vest. Then, they dragged the police office down the steps, where other rioters beat him with batons and flagpoles. The officer sustained bruises and abrasions in the assault.
About five minutes later, according to the release, Barnhart went back to the archway, where rioters were "slamming riot shields into the line of police officers."
"Barnhart pushed other rioters from behind, supporting them and propelling them forward into the line of officers. He then approached the line of officers and struck at them with the base of a flagpole," the release said.
More on the case:Haslett man charged with assaulting D.C. officer in connection with Jan. 6 attack at U.S. Capitol
More:Michigan man in viral Lansing protest photo made way into US Capitol during riot
Barnhart was one of eight defendants who were part of the indictment. He was the third to plead guilty. Jack Wade Whitton, 32, of Locust Grove, Georgia, and Justin Jersey, 32, of Flint, pleaded guilty earlier this month. Five others pleaded not guilty, and their court cases are ongoing.
Barnhart was seen in an image showing a man in a hooded "CAT" sweatshirt holding onto a Metropolitan Police officer while the officer was being dragged down stairs outside a tunnel on the western side of the U.S. Capitol, the Huffington Post reported last year.
Internet searchers studied content Barnhart posted on Instagram, bodybuilding websites and photography websites, the publication said. In July 2019, an image of Barnhart wearing "the same American flag hat that he’d later wear to the Capitol" was posted to the account; and in August 2020, he posted a video of himself at work in a Caterpillar-branded sweatshirt.
More than 870 individuals from almost every state have been arrested in connection with the insurrection, the release said. More than 265 of them were charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
According to Barnhart's plea agreement, the riot — led by supporters of former president Donald Trump — caused approximately $1.5 million in damage to the U.S. Capitol. Barnhart agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution to capitol architects, as well as a payment to the injured police officer, which has yet to be determined.
In 1999, Barnhart was charged with inciting a riot in connection with a melee in East Lansing that caused about $145,000 in damages to the city and the Michigan State University campus, according to State Journal archives. Police said he helped tip over a car.
Barnhart pleaded guilty to unlawful assembly, a maximum five-year felony, and was sentenced to 45 days in jail, 2 years' probation and 100 hours of community service. He also was ordered to pay $5,500 in restitution and fees.
Contact reporter Jared Weber at 517-582-3937 or jtweber@lsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Holt man, 41, pleads guilty to assaulting police during Jan. 6 attack
