A Colorado geophysicist who helped drag a police officer down the steps of the U.S. Capitol into a mob where he was beaten was sentenced to more than five years in prison on Thursday for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in Washington, D.C.
Jeffrey P. Sabol, 53, of Kittredge, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $32,165 in restitution in federal court on Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
He will receive credit for the three years and two months he already has spent in jail since his arrest, according to the Associated Press.
Sabol traveled to Washington, D.C., with members of what he described as a neighborhood watch group and attended the “Stop the Steal” rally at the White House before joining the mob attempting to breach the U.S. Capitol.
Sabol was in the front line of rioters who confronted police on the west side of the Capitol building, repeatedly pushing and running into the police line before breaking through and flooding into the West Plaza, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Sabol tried to wrestle batons and protective gear away from police officers and helped two rioters drag an officer down the steps and into the mob, where the officer was beaten with a flagpole and baton, according to the agency.
After the riot, Sabol deleted text messages, destroyed his laptops in a microwave and dropped his cell phone in a body of water before trying to flee to Switzerland.
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When he could not board the plane, he drove to Westchester, New York, where he was arrested on Jan. 11, 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He was found guilty of three felony counts after a bench trial in August, including obstruction of an official proceeding and federal robbery.
During his sentencing, Sabol told U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras that he knows he’s “100%” guilty and would have apologized directly to the officers he attacked if they had attended the hearing, the Associated Press reported.
“I accept whatever it is you hand me,” Sabol said. “I’ll be honest: I deserve it.”
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