A Berkeley County man who pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach at the United States Capitol was sentenced to jail Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras sentenced Christopher George Rockey, 54, to 18 months in prison and 24 months of supervised release. In addition, Rockey had to pay $2,000 in reparation.
According to the Department of Justice, the Cross native came from South Carolina to Washington, D.C., to witness former President Donald Trump’s speech on the Ellipse.
Court records state: Rockey entered the Capitol via the Senate Wing Door around 2:23 p.m. on January 6. According to the DOJ, he continued through the rotunda and House Chamber until coming upon a line of police officers and rioters.
The mob passed through police, and Rockey finally departed the premises at 2:44 p.m. After departing, Rockey joined another group of rioters on the Upper Terrace, which is located on the Capitol’s north side.
Police attempted to clear the Upper Terrace area approximately 4:35 p.m. Rockey approached the officers, defied directions, and took a riot shield from one of them.
According to federal officials, two minutes later, he grabbed one officer’s baton and pulled down another’s riot shield.
The FBI captured Rockey, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm, on December 13, 2023, in South Carolina. On June 12, 2024, he pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer.
“… he still suffers from the psychological wounds received in service of our Nation,” said Brad Vannoy, Rockey’s legal representative. “He has always regretted his actions on 1/6/21, has taken full responsibility for his conduct, and has been sentenced accordingly. It has been a privilege to represent him.”
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case.
More than 1,561 people have faced charges connected to the breach since the riots on January 6. Violent crowds killed five people.
The siege, which took place as Congress convened to confirm Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, resulted in the beating of over 140 police officers.
Federal investigators estimate that the attacks resulted in the theft, damage, or destruction of more than $2.8 million in government property.
FBI officials are still looking for anybody who participated in the incident. The inquiry into the incident is underway.