Georgia Business Owner Sentenced for Assault on Police Officer during January 6th Capitol Riots

A Georgia business owner has been 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, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and dragging him into a mob of rioters on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace. In text messages, he boasted about his actions, claiming that he had “fed him to the people.”

The judge described the videos of Whitton attacking police as “gruesome” and noted that his behavior was out of control during the riot. The violence that followed on the Lower West Terrace was said to have been ignited by Whitton and his co-defendant, Justin Jersey. More than 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.