LOCUST GROVE, Ga, - A Locust Grove man has pleaded guilty to attacking law enforcement officers with a weapon during riots at the the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Officials say 32-year-old Jack Wade Whitton pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon in a federal court Tuesday, He had previously been also charged with civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, but those charges will not be further prosecuted.
According to court documents, at around 4:30 p.m. during the riot at the Capitol, Whitton kicked and used a crutch to hit a Metropolitan police office who had been knocked down by another rioter. Whitton then grabbed another officer, pulled him down, and dragged him down the steps into the crowd, where other rioters beat the officer with weapons.
A short time later, officials say Whitton walked up to the line of officers at the Capitol Archway and attacked them. At one point during this attack, investigators say Whitton struck an officer's riot shield and shouted at them, "you're going to die tonight."
Authorities arrested Whitton in Locust Grove on April 1, 2021.
The Georgia man faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and possible financial felonies.
As of September 2022, law enforcement officers have arrested over 870 people in almost all 50 states for crimes connected to the Capitol Breach. More than 260 of those have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.