A Crown Point man was sentenced Tuesday to 2.5 years in federal prison in a plea deal as part of a mob that overran the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Dale Huttle, 73, pleaded guilty Dec. 8 to one count of felony assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon and causing serious bodily injury in the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also ordered Huttle to do 24 months on supervised release and pay $3,600 in restitution.
Federal prosecutors wanted a much stiffer sentencing. In court filings, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves asked for just over seven years in prison, saying Huttle was not remorseful for what he did, citing a Chicago TV news interview where he said he acted as a patriot.
Defense lawyer A.J. Kramer asked for home confinement, or a short prison stint, citing his age and health concerns, according to documents.
Court filings state Huttle had two “violent confrontations” with law enforcement officers on the building’s Lower West Terrace. Around 2 p.m., as the crowd was pulling bike racks used as a barrier, Dale went to the front of the crowd and hit at least two officers with a long flagpole, according to a release. A half-hour later, he allegedly grabbed another officer’s baton, yelling: “Surrender!”
Huttle was “one of the more violent participants,” Graves wrote. One of the cops he jabbed with a flagpole ended up with a slipped disk after he fell down stairs, while Huttle kept beating him with a flagpole.
The officer had to pepper spray rioters so he could get back on his feet.
His nephew Matthew Huttle was there, too, and later indicted for several misdemeanors — for essentially trespassing. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in prison in November.
According to Google videos that Matthew Huttle captured, the pair walked toward the Capitol around 1:14 p.m. following a rally on the Ellipse headlined by then-President Donald Trump. In the complaint, it details that a voice was similar to that of Dale Huttle stated: “Think we ought to bum rush the Capitol building,” “Arrest them all,” and “We have enough people to do that.” Huttle also was heard saying “Let’s go, let’s go, storm the front,” “Let’s squeeze our way up there,” “Breach it!” and “Are you ready to go to jail? Let’s go,” according to court records.
Authorities allege Matthew Huttle went inside the Capitol about 2:58 p.m. next to its Senate Wing. He possibly left for about six minutes, then went back in for nearly 11 minutes, where he entered multiple offices, the Crypt area, and a number of hallways.
Other Northwest Indiana residents were indicted by the feds for their role.
In January 2021, Kash Lee Kelly of Hammond, was charged in the District of Columbia with two misdemeanor counts, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful entry, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to the charging documents.
Kelly was sentenced to 60 days in prison and ordered to pay $500 in restitution. He has since been released.
Over 1,400 people were charged in nearly every state in connection with the Jan. 6 breach, according to a release. More than 500 were charged for impeding or assaulting police.
Aside from trying to overturn the 2020 Presidential election, the insurrection hurt over 100 cops and caused nearly $3 million in damages, court filings show.
Anyone with further information can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
mcolias@post-trib.com
