College student sentenced to 1 month for Capitol riot role

WASHINGTON – A assemblage pupil who posted online that “Infamy is conscionable arsenic bully arsenic fame" aft she climbed done a breached model astatine the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6 has been sentenced to a period down bars for her actions.

Gracyn Courtright, 23, of Hurricane, West Virginia, sobbed arsenic she told U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper that “if I could instrumentality backmost thing successful my beingness it would beryllium my actions connected Jan. 6.”

She was among the throng of pro-Trump rioters who descended connected the Capitol to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden's triumph past year. She posted photos of herself online — similar scores of different rioters — reveling successful the moment. “Can’t hold to archer my grandkids I was here!” she wrote, and wrong the Senate chamber, she was photographed holding a “Members only” sign.

“I volition ne'er beryllium the aforesaid miss again,” the University of Kentucky pupil said done tears. “This has changed maine completely.”

Ad

After the riot, she dug successful connected societal media erstwhile she was criticized for her actions, earlier yet deleting her accounts. Courtright is among the youngest of those publically charged successful the Capitol riot truthful far, retired of much than 700 transgression cases.

Courtright asked the justice that she beryllium allowed to decorativeness her last semester of college, but said that the net images of her that day, adjacent though her accounts are deleted, volition haunt her forever. People won't spot the hardworking pupil who was connected the dean's list, she said.

“They volition lone spot the miss who trespassed and took pictures to beryllium they were there. And posted pictures reasoning she was conscionable truthful cool," Courtright said.

Courtright’s sentencing was delayed concisely due to the fact that a caregiver had to find she was OK to proceed, and she gave her connection sitting down.

Her lawyer connected Friday argued she had nary thought what she was doing and that she wasn't a governmental activistic — she didn't adjacent ballot successful the predetermination she was determination to protest. The justice seized connected that during his remarks.

Ad

“That is your prime obviously, but successful my presumption — if immoderate national wants to enactment successful our democracy, casting a ballot is the terms of admission," helium said. “Because erstwhile you bash that, you person to survey the issues and the candidates, larn what their policies are, fig retired however those policies are affecting your community.”

Participating successful a ideology isn’t similar going to a University of Kentucky crippled and “rooting for a squad conscionable due to the fact that of the colour of their jerseys,” the justice said. “It’s surely not resorting to unit erstwhile your squad doesn’t triumph the game,” helium told Courtright.

Cooper besides noted that Courtright made it to the level of the U.S. Senate astatine astir the nonstop clip that Ashli Babbitt, connected the House, broadside was changeable dead.

“Do you cognize however galore radical died connected Jan. 6, 5. Including Ms. Babbit?” helium asked. “Five.”

“Do you cognize however galore Capitol constabulary officers committed termination aft Jan. 6, harmed from the trauma of that day? Four,“ the justice added. "So was it chill to person been there?”

Ad

“No," she answered emphatically.

Still, the justice said the recommended six months successful situation was excessively precocious and sentenced her alternatively to 30 days, 1 twelvemonth of supervised release, and 60 hours of assemblage service.

He said helium hoped she could propulsion her beingness unneurotic and that she “should not beryllium judged by the worst mistake you person made successful your life.”

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.