A 69-year-old Navy veteran from Star Valley, Wyoming, has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for assaulting a police officer with a flagpole during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, Wyo File reports.
Douglas Harrington was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.
Harrington faced US Chief Judge James E. Boasberg in Washington, D.C., where he was convicted in July on charges of assaulting an officer, civil disorder, and five misdemeanors. Prosecutors initially sought an eight-year sentence, arguing that Harrington’s actions reflected premeditated violence. Defense attorneys countered with a request for 18 months, portraying the incident as uncharacteristic of Harrington’s otherwise law-abiding life.
Harrington joined the January 6 riot after traveling to Washington, D.C., following weeks of publicly denouncing the 2020 presidential election results. At the Capitol, he swung a flagpole at police officers, striking one near the wrist and helmet, according to prosecutors. Harrington also allegedly participated in a coordinated effort to push through police lines. He claimed he had no intention of entering the Capitol building, though messages presented in court suggested otherwise.
Federal prosecutors emphasized Harrington’s lack of remorse, citing post-riot text messages in which he boasted about the violence and expressed disdain for law enforcement. They argued his continued rhetoric promoting political violence warranted a lengthy sentence.
“Harrington’s criminal conduct on January 6 was the epitome of disrespect for the law,” Assistant US Attorney Kyle Mirabelli wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
Harrington’s attorneys described him as regretful and highlighted his decades of service, including volunteering to help elderly and low-income members of his church. They portrayed his actions during the riot as out of character, noting his lack of prior legal troubles.
“Mr. Harrington regrets the actions he took on January 6, 2021, not because he fears the consequences but because he recognizes now that these actions were foolish, dishonorable, and out of line with his sense of right and wrong,” defense attorneys Jake Crammer and Lisa LaBarre wrote.
Harrington is one of many individuals charged in connection with the January 6 riot, during which supporters of then-President Donald Trump sought to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Trump, recently elected to a second term, has hinted at potentially pardoning some of the rioters.
