Updated: Kentucky man sentenced to jail for involvement in Capitol riot
A man from Cave City has been sentenced for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
A judge sentenced Robert Bauer, 44, to 45 days in jail and ordered him to perform 60 hours of community service and pay $500 in restitution.
Bauer’s cousin, Edward Hemenway, who lives in Virginia and went into the Capitol with him, received the same sentence.
Bauer and Hemenway each pleaded guilty to a charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to court records. Bauer originally faced four charges for his involvement in the riot that injured more than 100 police officers and caused more than $1 million in damage.
The judge could have sentenced Bauer to a maximum of six months in prison, and a fine of up to $5,000, according to court records. Bauer agreed to the plea deal in late June.
Bauer and Hemenway attended the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington D.C. in support of then-President Donald Trump, according to court records.
Many Trump supporters believe the former president’s debunked claims that he lost the 2020 election because of vote fraud. Courts have rejected dozens of such claims.
The rally evolved into hundreds of people storming the Capitol building, Bauer and Hemenway among them.
The two, wearing Trump 2020 caps, spent about 17 minutes inside the building and posed for a photo with their middle fingers raised. Authorities haven’t found evidence that they took part in acts of physical violence or destruction of property.
Bauer was charged shortly after the riot and interviewed by the FBI, according to court documents. Bauer told the agent he was not at the Capitol to fight anyone, just to occupy the building.
“I don’t agree with some things that went on,” Bauer said, according to court records. “If I had been in a cop uniform on that day, I would have been scared for my life.”
However, Bauer also told the FBI, “I don’t feel like I done nothing terribly wrong.
Prosecutors disagreed, arguing Bauer and Hemenway took part in an unprecedented attack on the rule of law.
“The attack on the U.S. Capitol, on January 6, 2021, is a criminal offense unparalleled in American history,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth C. Kelley wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “It represented a grave threat to our democratic norms; indeed, it was one of the only times in our history when the building was occupied by hostile participants. By its very nature, the attack defies comparison to other events.”
This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 3:44 PM.
