Ohio man who testified at hearing gets probation

An Ohio man who testified at a congressional hearing about why he stormed the U.S. Capitol avoided imprisonment when a federal judge sentenced him on Thursday to two years of probation for his role in the mob’s attack.

After his televised testimony at a U.S. House committee’s hearing in July, Stephen Ayres approached and apologized to a group of police officers who had struggled to repel the crowd of rioters on Jan. 6, 2021.

Ayres apologized again on Thursday — this time to the court and the “American people” — before U.S. District Judge John Bates sentenced him to probation and ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service.

Bates said he believes Ayres has shown genuine remorse and regret for his conduct, including with testimony for the House committee investigating the insurrection.

Stephen Ayres