Another Capitol kerfuffler sentenced

We have previously noted the hypocrisy of the Lexington Herald-Leader in refusing to publish the mugshot of Brent Dyer Kelty, a man previously convicted of “several prior felonies in Fayette County since 2010,” in their story about him being indicted for the murder of an infant, but publishing the photo of Gracyn Dawn Courtright, one of the Capitol kerfufflers. In that, the newspaper followed the McClatchy Mugshot Policy, despite the fact that Mr Kelty, even if acquitted of murder, is still a multiply convicted felon, while Miss Courtright was convicted of a single misdemeanor count.

Now, the former University of Kentucky student has been sentenced:

    UK student gets 30-day sentence for involvement in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

    by Christopher Leach and Bill Estep | Friday, December 17, 2021 | 2:48 PM EST | Updated: 3:50 PM EST

    A former University of Kentucky student who unlawfully entered the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot has been sentenced to 30 days in jail followed by a year on probation, according to her attorney.

    The sentence for Gracyn Courtright also includes 60 hours of community service and a $500 restitution payment, according to her attorney, Thomas Abbenante.

    The government sought a sentence of six months in prison for Courtright, arguing she was one of the few people who went onto the Senate floor during the “violent attack” that threatened the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election, injured more than 100 law enforcement officers and did more than $1 million in property damage at the Capitol.

    Courtright did not engage in violence, but witnessed others damaging property and continued inside the building, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel A. Fletcher said in a sentencing memorandum.

There’s more at the original.

So, Miss Courtright did nothing violent herself, as the government conceded, but “witnessed others damaging property,” yet the government wanted to lock her up for half a year. The kerfuffle included damages to property and some police officers were injured, but Miss Courtright personally did neither of those things.

If that’s the standard, then every single #BlackLivesMatter demonstrator who participated in any Mostly Peaceful Protest™ in which any bystander or law enforcement officer was hurt, or any building burned, or any store looted, should be jailed, in the government’s view, for six months, regardless of whether the government can prove that a specific individual perpetrated any of those acts.

The real truth is that the Capitol kerfuffle wasn’t that serious, and no one should have been charged with any crimes. The next Republican president won’t be able to give any of the kerfufflers their time back, but he should pardon every last one of them.

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