Judge Sentences Jan. 6 Defendant to Over Five Years in Prison, Matching Longest Sentence for Capitol Breach

In this image from video, Mark Ponder (C) strikes a U.S. Capitol Police officer on Jan. 6, 2021. Department of Justice via The Epoch Times

A Washington resident was sentenced on July 26 to more than five years in prison, matching the longest term of imprisonment so far among hundreds of Capitol breach prosecutions.

Mark Ponder, 56, said he “got caught up” in the chaos that erupted on Jan. 6, 2021, and “didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”