Tennessean gets 5+ years for role in Trump’s January 6 coup d’é·tat attempt, assaulting police
A Tennessee man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Washington DC yesterday for his role in the Donald Trump-inspired January 6 coup d’é·tat attempt.
Ronald Sandlin, 35, of Millington, Tenn., was sentenced to 63 months in Federal prison by Judge Dabney Friedrich.
According to court documents, Sandlin and two co-conspirators – Nathaniel DeGrave and Josiah Colt – planned to interfere with the peaceful transition of presidential power beginning in December 2020.
On Dec. 31, 2020, Sandlin posted to Facebook that he was organizing a caravan to travel to Washington and sought donations on a GoFundMe site. The same day, he, DeGrave, and Colt began a private chat on Facebook to plan for Jan. 6.
In the chat, they discussed “shipping guns” to Sandlin’s residence in Tennessee, where they planned to meet prior to their trip.
On Jan. 4, 2021, before heading to Washington, Sandlin posted to Facebook a picture of Colt lying on a bed holding a firearm, with the caption, “My fellow patriot sleeping ready for the boogaloo Jan 6.” Sandlin understood at the time that the term “boogaloo” referred to civil war.
On Jan. 6, after watching live television coverage of the “Stop the Steal” rally near the Ellipse, at a nearby restaurant, Sandlin live-streamed a video in which he called on “other patriots” to “take the Capitol.” In the video, Sandlin stated four times that “freedom is paid for with blood.”
Sandlin, DeGrave, and Colt then traveled together to the Capitol wearing protective gear, including gas/face masks, helmets, and shin guards. Sandlin was armed with a knife, while DeGrave carried bear spray and marched towards the Capitol.
At the Capitol, the men scaled dismantled bike barricades and past law enforcement officers, pushing past members of the crowd to get closer to the Capitol Building. Sandlin repeatedly yelled things such as “we’re not here to spectate anymore,” “the time to talk is over,” and “if you’re not breaching the building, move out of the way.”
The three men entered the Capitol through the Upper West Terrace door, at approximately 2:35 p.m. While inside, Sandlin and DeGrave pushed against officers guarding an exterior door to the Capitol Rotunda, slowly forcing the door open and letting a mob stream inside. Sandlin shouted at the officers, “you’re going to die, get out of the way,” before later grabbing an officer’s helmet.
The three men then went together up a set of stairs and to a hallway outside the Senate Chamber. Sandlin incited others in the mob to prevent U.S. Capitol Police officers from locking the doors to the Senate Gallery, shouting “grab the door.”
Sandlin shoved officers in an attempt to keep the doors open and his hand made contact with the side of an officer’s head. The trio and dozens of other rioters then gained access to the Senate Gallery, where Sandlin recorded a selfie-style video with his cellphone, exclaiming: “We took it. We did it.”
After leaving the Senate Gallery, Sandlin smoked a marijuana joint in the Rotunda of the Capitol. He also stole a book from a desk in a Senate-side office, which he later described to Colt as a “souvenir.” He also picked up an oil painting from the Capitol and slung it over his shoulder before others in the mob took it off his shoulder. He finally exited the Capitol at approximately 3:16 p.m.
Shortly after the riot, Sandlin deleted photographs and messages regarding the events of Jan. 6 from his group chats with Colt, DeGrave, and others.
Colt, 35, of Meridian, Idaho, pleaded guilty on July 14, 2021, to obstruction of an official proceeding. DeGrave, 33, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty on June 27, 2022, to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. Both are awaiting sentencing.
In addition to the term of incarceration, Sandlin was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s
