Federal prosecutors are asking for nearly four years in jail (a total of 46 months) for Capitol riot participant and Montana man Joshua Calvin Hughes, who alongside his brother was one of the first to climb through a broken window in the Senate wing of the building that helped set off the breach of the building itself.
Both Hughes brothers were also in the crowd that chased Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, who has been widely hailed for leading members of the mob away from the Senate chamber itself, where members of the legislative body were still present at the time. Goodman eventually confirmed in court remarks that he was concerned about members of the crowd getting into the Senate chamber, although he’s largely stayed out of the public spotlight. Later, the Hughes brothers were among the rioters who entered that chamber, although members of the crowd were largely kept just far enough from government officials to prevent the threatened assaults — although mob members repeatedly came rather close. In one incident, a participant in the rampage encountered the security team for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as the legislative official was evacuating.
As for the Hughes brothers, both eventually pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding. “By approximately 2:48 p.m., they entered the Senate Chamber, among the first rioters there. They walked among the senators’ desks for approximately two minutes and then left the Capitol Building,” an August press release from the Justice Department says. They were both arrested in February last year.
Justice Dept will seek 46-months prison in Capitol riot case of Joshua Hughes of Montana. They'll argue he "roamed the halls and menaced the overpowered police, chasing a lone Capitol Police officer as the crowd around him, including his brother, yelled violent & angry threats" pic.twitter.com/Yco6Z9Jtjo
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) November 16, 2022
In other news related to the riot, new arrests are also continuing. A father and stepson from Maryland were among those most recently apprehended, with both facing multiple felony charges including assault on police and interference with law enforcement during a civil disorder. For Douglas Wyatt, the older of the two, five different tipsters provided info to prosecutors, repeatedly drawing from his account on Facebook. Meanwhile, the stepson hurled a plank of wood at police, hitting one in the head during the Capitol chaos. Wyatt provided his stepson, Jacob Michael Therres, with the wood prior to the assault, which left the affected officer with injuries.
