Kentucky man pleads guilty to assault on law enforcement during the Capitol riot

A Kentucky man has pleaded guilty to assaulting police during a riot at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, in attempts to disrupt an electoral vote count to certify President Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election.

Clayton Ray Mullins, 54, of Magnolia, pleaded guilty last week to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in the District of Columbia, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

Mullins attended the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6 and later joined a crowd walking from the Ellipse to the Capitol building, according to court documents. He and hundreds of other rioters were confronted by police officers behind a barricade fence. For nearly 20 minutes Mullins was “actively involved with others in pushing against the barricade and the officers in order to advance closer to the Capitol building,” the news release said.

Around 2:30 p.m., rioters took over the West Plaza and officers fell back. Two hours later around 4:15 p.m., Mullins made his way towards the Lower West Terrace Archway and began waving other rioters to join pressing to gain entry into the Capitol, according to court documents.

Mullins then leaned over a handrail and made multiple attempts to grab the leg of a Metropolitan Police Department officer, who had been knocked to the ground, the DOJ said in a news release. Mullins secured his grip on the officer’s leg, and “violently pulled on it for at least 16 seconds.”

The officer was dragged down the steps and continued to be attacked by additional rioters, the news release says.

Mullins faces a maximum potential sentence of eight years in prison and a fine up to $250,000, according to his plea agreement. A federal judge will determine his sentence based on factors in the case and established sentencing guidelines.

Mullins is the latest Kentucky resident to be convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection. More than two dozen Kentucky residents have been charged.

On Aug. 2, Barry Saturday, of Lexington, was charged with with civil disorder, knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct within a restricted building and disorderly conduct within the Capitol.

In the 32 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,146 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 398 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the DOJ.

The insurrection resulted in several deaths, multiple serious injuries to law enforcement and millions of dollars in damage, officials have said.