WASHINGTON – A Wyoming man was sentenced Wednesday to 40 months in prison for assaulting law enforcement officers with a flagpole during the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Douglas Harrington, 69, of Bedford, Wyoming, was convicted of multiple felony and misdemeanor charges related to the Capitol breach, which disrupted the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.
Harrington, sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge James E. Boasberg, was also ordered to serve 24 months of supervised release and pay $2,000 in restitution. He was found guilty of two felony counts, including civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, and five misdemeanor counts related to his actions on Capitol grounds.
According to court documents, Harrington arrived at the Capitol wearing a cowboy hat, respirator mask, and military-style backpack, while carrying American and Trump 2020 flags attached to a long metal pipe. He approached a line of police officers on the Upper West Terrace and used the metal flagpole to strike in the direction of an officer. After being sprayed with chemical irritants, Harrington escalated his actions by striking another officer with the flagpole on the wrist and helmet.
Harrington continued to swing the pole at officers before retreating into the crowd. Later, he joined other rioters in using a large opaque object to block officers’ view as they advanced. Harrington also resisted officers’ efforts to remove rioters by grabbing at a baton and shoving against a riot shield. Police eventually removed him from Capitol grounds just before the 6 p.m. curfew issued by the mayor of Washington, D.C.
Harrington was arrested by the FBI on August 8, 2023, and identified as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #470. The investigation and prosecution were carried out by the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming.