Remorseful rioter gets 14-day sentence

A Missouri man who told a federal judge that “I take full responsibility” for breaching the U.S. Capitol in the early minutes of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot was sentenced to 14 days in prison and fined $500.

Joshua Dressel, 33, of Jefferson County also must pay $500 restitution toward the nearly $2.9 million in losses the government said were sustained in the riot. The sentence was handed down Tuesday by Judge Christopher Cooper in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Dressel pleaded guilty in August to parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol. In a letter to the judge, he apologized for his actions.

“I'm aware of the gravity of this day, my actions, and implications it will have on our country,” he wrote. “I was there that day to protest and have my voice heard on election integrity and a hopeful investigation on any irregularities. In hindsight my entrance in the capitol building was regretful, as it wasn't conducive to change that I was protesting for.

“I do not feel morally justified and I take full accountability for those actions and my involvement. I was not coerced into going into the capitol and I did not get ‘caught up' in the moment. I take full responsibility for the charge against me and all the decisions I made that day.”

Dressel's sentencing memorandum said his time in the Capitol was brief and that he did not engage in any destructive or violent activity. It added, “Not only did Dressel attempt to clean up some of the debris left on the floor in the Capitol but he took steps to affirmatively hold parts of the crowd back to protect police officers inside the Crypt area and return a stolen police shield to police officers.”