A year after Capitol riot: 17 Ky. residents charged, 6 admit guilt. See their sentences.
One year removed from the U.S. Capitol riot, Kentucky has seen 17 residents arrested for allegedly participating in the attack. Six of them have since pleaded guilty.
Additionally, a former University of Kentucky student from West Virginia, was charged in the riot and has pleaded guilty.
Their punishments range from short prison sentences to probation time and fines, according to court records. None of the Kentuckians charged in the attack have been acquitted or had their charges dropped.
With 17 residents arrested, Kentucky is tied for the 12th-most residents arrested over the Capitol riot from a single state, according to information from the Department of Justice and a database from USA Today. Kentucky residents who have been convicted over the riot have agreed to pay at least $3,000 total toward the damages.
The damage caused to the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot was estimated to be about $1.5 million, according to the Department of Justice. Overall, more than 725 people have been charged over the riot.
“Those involved must be held accountable, and there is no higher priority for us at the Department of Justice,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said while addressing the one-year anniversary of the riot in a speech Wednesday.
The riot occurred after a Washington, D.C., rally for former President Donald Trump. Trump supporters, who believed false claims that the 2020 Presidential Election was stolen through fraud, marched to the Capitol.
The crowd broke through law enforcement and got into the Capitol, forcing the election proceedings to be suspended as senators, representatives and Vice President Mike Pence had to evacuate chambers at the Capitol.
Some chanted “stop the steal.” Others broke windows. Some allegedly assaulted Capitol police officers who were trying to handle a crowd which had overwhelmed law enforcement and broke into a building which is typically secured 24 hours per day.
Here is a breakdown of those with Kentucky ties who have pleaded guilty and been sentenced in the Jan. 6 riots.
Kentuckian chanted ‘stop the steal’ with cousin in Capitol
Robert Bauer was sentenced to 45 days in prison and ordered to complete 60 hours of community service by the end of 2022, according to court records. He was also ordered to pay $500 in restitution.
Bauer pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, a federal crime which could’ve carried a maximum of six months in prison, according to court records.
As part of his plea agreement, Bauer admitted he entered the U.S. Capitol with his cousin, Edward Hemenway, despite the two seeing a sign which said “do not enter.” They believed they saw members of the crowd which had broken into the Capitol fighting with police officers. Bauer chanted “stop the steal” and “our house” while inside the Capitol, according to court records.
“Bauer and Hemenway knew at the time they entered the U.S. Capitol building that they did not have permission to enter the building and they paraded, demonstrated, or picketed in the Capitol building,” prosecutors wrote in court records.
Bauer was sentenced in October.
UK student was ‘caught up in the hysteria’
Gracyn Courtright, a former University of Kentucky student, was sentenced to 30 days in prison for participating in the Capitol riot. She was also ordered to do 60 hours of community service and pay $500 in restitution, according to her attorney, Thomas Abbenante.
Prosecutors had sought a six-month prison sentence for Courtright, arguing that she was one of the few people who went onto the Senate floor during the violent attack.
Abbenante said Courtright “was caught up in the hysteria of the day.”
UK suspended Courtright, who is from West Virginia, after the riot. A UK spokesperson confirmed in December that Courtright was no longer enrolled at UK.
Kentuckians went to riot together, watched violence unfold
Dalton Ray Crase pleaded guilty in October. He agreed to plead guilty to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. The maximum prison sentence is six months for that charge, according to court records.
As part of his plea agreement, Crase admitted he attended Trump’s “stop the steal” rally and then marched to the Capitol, according to court records. Crase crossed police lines to get to the Capitol and watched as others assaulted the overwhelmed police force at the Capitol.
Crase entered the Capitol just after 3 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court records. He took photos and videos while inside. Crase knew he wasn’t supposed to be in the Capitol and told federal investigators he knew he was breaking the law. He was arrested less than a month after the riot.
Crase has agreed to pay $500 in restitution as part of the damages done to the Capitol, according to court records. Crase is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 13. He was previously released from U.S. custody on his own recognizance.
Troy Dylan Williams was with Crase during the Capitol riot, according to court records. He also reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors and pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He faces the same potential punishment as Crase.
Williams and Crase traveled from Kentucky to Washington, D.C., together, according to court records. Williams admitted he observed that police had been overwhelmed by the crowd getting into the Capitol building.
The two moved through the Capitol with other rioters who were “yelling, chanting, carrying posters and signs, and yelling various slogans in support of then-President Trump,” prosecutors wrote in court records.
Williams and Crase were in the Capitol building for about 10 minutes, according to court records. Williams admitted he knew he was breaking the law by being in the Capitol that day.
Williams has also agreed to pay $500 in restitution. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 13. He was previously released from U.S. custody on his own recognizance.
Married KY couple thought storming Capitol was ‘justified’
Thomas Ray and Lori Ann Vinson, who are married, were both arrested after attending the “stop the steal” rally and then marching on the Capitol building, according to court records.
The two pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to court records. The couple was sentenced in November to five years of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine plus $500 in restitution, according to court records.
As part of their guilty plea, the Vinsons admitted they entered the Capitol after 2 p.m., with broken glass and blaring alarms featured in cell phone video which the Vinsons recorded.
The Vinsons admitted to being in the Capitol when interviewed by law enforcement, according to court records. Lori Ann Vinson also told local news outlets she thought she was “justified” and she would “do this all over again tomorrow,” according to court records.
The Vinsons were arrested more than a month after the riot, according to court records. Lori Ann Vinson had done media interviews about the riot prior to the arrest.
One Kentucky man wanted ‘to keep America good’
Michael Orangias has pleaded guilty in his case, admitting that he paraded, demonstrated or picketed in a Capitol building, according to court records.
Orangias admitted that he drove to Washington, D.C., from Louisville and arrived to the nation’s capital on the morning of Jan. 6 to attend Trump’s rally, according to court records. Orangias marched to the Capitol after the rally and entered the Capitol just before 3 p.m. He recorded photos and videos with his phone and left the building not long after he entered.
Orangias went on a podcast to talk about going to the Capitol, according to court records. The FBI found the podcast episode.
When asked what the point of the rally was, Orangias responded, “To keep America good ... Keeping the freedom of speech there ... If we let the left continue what they’re doing, they’re going to keep taking more and more,” according to court records.
Orangias hasn’t been sentenced yet. His conviction could carry a maximum prison sentence of six months. He has agreed to pay $500 in restitution for the damage done to the Capitol, according to court records. Orangias is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 6:00 AM.