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January 6 rioter guilty of seven felonies could get longest sentence yet

McCaughey was convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison

Andrea Blanco
Wednesday 14 September 2022 11:20 EDT
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A January 6 rioter could spend decades behind bars after being convicted of seven felonies.

During a bench trial on Tuesday, Patrick McCaughey III, 25, was found guilty of nine charges including assaulting and impeding officers from using a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and engaging in physical violence with a deadly weapon.

McCaughey, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, was also charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, NBC reported.

If that sentencing is ultimately handed down, it would be twice as long as the strictest prison sentence given so far to any convicted rioter.

Video presented as evidence in the trial showed McCaughey pinning Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges between a police riot shield and the lower west terrace door, according to court documents. Officer Hodges can also be heard crying in pain and bleeding through his mouth when another rioter rips off his gas mask.

Video showed Patrick McCaughey III pinning Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges
Video showed Patrick McCaughey III pinning Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges (DoJ)
Officer Hodges was captured crying in pain on video
Officer Hodges was captured crying in pain on video (DoJ)

McCaughey, along with fellow rioters Tristan Chandler Stevens, 26, and David Mehaffie, 63, were found guilty by Trump-appointed US District Judge Trevor McFadden, CBS reported.

Stevens was found guilty of five felonies, while Mehaffie was convicted of two felony charges. They were both acquitted of obstruction charges.

In an interview with CBS last year, Officer Hodgens told the outlet that McCaughey also beat his head against a door.

“He was also able to rip away my baton and hit me in the head with it,” Officer Hodges told CBS.

“So, I definitely considered that that might be it. I might not be able to make it out of there.”

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