- A Capitol rioter was given a long probation sentence instead of jail time so the judge can keep an eye on him ahead of the 2024 election.
- The judge said he didn't want the Utah man to "fall victim to following false gods again."
- Prosecutors alleged the man taunted police and had to be restrained by other members of the mob during the insurrection.
A federal judge sentenced a Utah man accused of shouting "We ride for Trump! We die for Trump!" and taunting police during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, to "restrictive" probation in order to keep tabs on him through the 2024 election, Law and Crime reported.
The Capitol rioter, Jacob Weidrich, was sentenced to three years of probation with three months of at-home detention for his involvement in the insurrection.
The sentence was specifically set to "cover the next general election to make sure you do not fall victim to following false gods again," Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan told Weidrich, according to Law and Crime.
Prosecutors had accused Weidrich of shouting at Capitol police officers both inside and outside the Capitol building, allegedly getting so confrontational inside the Capitol that other rioters physically held him back.
He allegedly posted a Snapchat video from the riot in which he shouted "Charge! Charge the motherfucker!" and "We ride for Trump! We die for Trump," according to court documents.
Weidrich pleaded guilty in October to one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol building, a charge that typically carries six months in prison, according to Law and Crime.
Weidrich's lawyer, Maria Jacob, told the court that the man "sincerely regrets his actions," according to Utah news station KSL.
At Weidrich's hearing Wednesday, Hogan explained why he didn't sentence Weidrich to jail time.
"I'm not going to sentence you to incarceration in jail," Hogan said, according to Law and Crime. "My inclination is to do that. All I do by that is give you a month, [and then] you're free. There's nothing else. You're not responsible to the court for anything."
He continued: "I think it's far better to put you under restrictive probationary terms for a long period so I can be assured that you won't fall into a violent political protest again."
753 people have been charged in the Capitol riot so far.