Image by Richard Burton from Pixabay
June 19, 2024 – WASHINGTON – An Indiana man was sentenced to prison on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge related to his conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Dale Huttle, 73, of Crown Point, Indiana, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,639 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper. Huttle pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon and causing serious bodily injury, a felony, on Dec. 8, 2023.
According to court documents, Huttle traveled to Washington, D.C. from Indiana to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, and afterward joined the crowd and marched to the U.S. Capitol building carrying a long flagpole with an upside-down American flag attached. As Huttle marched towards the Capitol alongside his nephew/co-defendant, Matthew Huttle, Matthew Huttle declared, “We’re going to see if we can get inside!” As the two men drew closer to Capitol grounds, Matthew Huttle said, “We’re going to be stopped here, I don’t think we’re going to get close. We’re going to have to go up the side . . . . Cops, a lot of cops,” to which Dale Huttle responded, “I think we ought to bum rush the Capitol building! Arrest them all. We’ve got enough people to do that.”
By 2:00 p.m., Dale and Matthew arrived on restricted Capitol grounds alongside a large crowd that had assembled on the West Front. Dale then worked his way through the mob and approached a line of police officers standing behind bike racks connected to form a continuous barricade across the West Front of the Capitol grounds. Here, Huttle and other rioters yelled at and berated the assembled police officers.
A group of rioters then surged forward and pulled the bike rack barriers away from the officer line. As the officers struggled to maintain control of the bike racks, Huttle lunged forward toward the officers and forcibly jabbed his flagpole directly into the stomach of a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Officer. As a result of the jab, the officer lost their footing and fell backward on the stairs as Huttle continued to strike the officer with the flagpole. As the officer fell, the officer suffered a sharp pain in their back and upper leg. Court documents say that due to this assault, the officer suffered a slipped disc in their back.
Huttle then assaulted a second MPD officer by forcibly jabbing his flagpole at the officer, striking the officer, and causing the officer to fall down a set of stairs. As other officers attempted to pull the fallen officer to their feet, Huttle continued to jab the officers with the flagpole. After these assaults, the police line temporarily regained control of the situation. Huttle, however, remained at the front of the police line and berated and taunted police officers.
The police line on the West Front soon collapsed, and the rioters, including Huttle, flooded onto the West Plaza. The police then retreated to a narrow staircase as Huttle pursued. Here, Huttle continued his attack on the police, including by grabbing and yanking an officer’s gas mask and baton.
Court documents say that both Dale and Matthew Huttle remained on Capitol grounds until after 5:00 p.m.
After his arrest, Huttle gave a news interview regarding his participation in the Capitol riot. In the interview, Huttle described the scene on the West Front as “mayhem” and filled with tear gas, smoke, flash bangs, and pepper spray. Huttle declared, “I’m not ashamed of being there. It was our duty as patriots.” Huttle then called himself “the ultimate patriot because I put myself on the line to defend the country. And I have, I have no regrets. I will not say I’m sorry.”
The FBI arrested Huttle on Nov. 17, 2022, in Indiana.
Matthew Huttle was previously sentenced for his role in the events of January 6th.
This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Indianapolis and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 41 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,450 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 500 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Source: DOJ Release
