First rioter to enter Capitol during Jan. 6 attack is sentenced to over 4 years in prison

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Kentucky man who was the first rioter to enter the U.S. Capitol during a mob’s attack on the building has been sentenced to more than four years in prison. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Michael Sparks on Tuesday to four years and five months of imprisonment. A police officer who tried to subdue Michael Sparks with pepper spray described him as a catalyst for the Jan. 6 siege. The Senate recessed less than one minute after Sparks jumped into the building through a broken window. Sparks then joined other rioters in chasing a police officer up flights of stairs.