'It was our duty as patriots': Indiana man sentenced for assaulting police during Jan. 6 Capitol riot

INDIANAPOLIS -- A Lake County man was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to assaulting police officers during his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. capitol.

73-year-old Dale Huttle will serve 30 months in prison alongside 24 months of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Additionally, Huttle has been ordered to pay $3,639 in restitution fees as part of the sentence.

Huttle pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon and one count of causing serious bodily injury. Huttle was initially arrested on Nov. 17, 2022.

Court documents detail Huttle's participation in the breach of the capitol when he reportedly traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6, 2021. After the rally concluded, Huttle marched to the U.S. Capitol building while carrying a flagpole displaying an upside-down American flag.

Court documents show that Dale was not alone as his nephew Matthew Huttle was also present. While the pair were marching alongside the crowd, Matthew reportedly said, "We're going to see if we can get inside!"

Matthew Huttle has since been sentenced for his role in the events of Jan. 6.

As the group approached the capital building, Dale reportedly told his nephew, "We ought to bum rush the Capitol building! Arrest them all. We've got enough people to do that."

By 2 p.m., Dale and Matthew were standing alongside a large crowd on the West Front of the Capitol grounds. Dale then ventured toward a group of officers standing behind bike racks that were connected to establish a barricade.

The rioters then yanked the bike racks away as the officers struggled to fend off the large crowd that had gathered. At this point, Dale "jabbed his flagpole directly into the stomach" of one of the officers involved in the altercation, court documents said.

The injured officer then lost control and fell backward on the stairs before Dale continued striking the officer with the flagpole, according to court documents. The officer required treatment for a slipped disk in their back.

Dale was also involved in the assault of a second officer after he reportedly struck them with the same flagpole, causing the officer to fall down a set of stairs, court documents said.

Following these assaults, officers managed to regain control of their line as Dale "remained at the front of the police line and berated and taunted police officers."

However, court documents show that the police line did not last long before Dale and the rest of the rioters gained access to the West Plaza. Officers proceeded to fall back toward a narrow staircase as the group continued moving forward.

At one point during the chaos, Dale reportedly grabbed an officer's gas mask and baton. Dale and his nephew Matthew remained on Capitol grounds after 5 p.m. that evening.

Following his arrest, Dale reportedly said that he had no "regrets" over his participation in the events that unfolded on Jan. 6 in the nation's capital.

“I’m not ashamed of being there. It was our duty as patriots," he reportedly said during a news interview.

Huttle also referred to himself as 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.”

Since the events of Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,450 individuals from nearly all 50 states have been charged for their roles in the breaching of the U.S. Capitol. Of that total, more than 500 individuals have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.