A Millington man forced his way into the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021, assaulted police, stole a book, tried to steal an oil painting, smoked a joint in the Rotunda, sobbed during his trial, begged a judge for mercy, and got five years in prison last week.
Ronald Sandlin, 35, of Millington was sentenced in Washington D.C. to 63 months in prison and three years of supervised release last week on a number of charges, all related to the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th. Those charges include conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers.
Sandlin, a business owner, had two co-conspirators, Nathaniel DeGrave and Josiah Colt. Together, they planned to interfere with the peaceful transition of presidential power, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), beginning in December 2020.
Sandlin sought GoFundMe donations to organize a caravan to Washington.
On December 31st, 2020, Sandlin posted to Facebook that he was organizing a caravan to travel to Washington and sought donations with a GoFundMe page. The same day, the three conspirators began a private chat on Facebook to plan for a January 6th assault on the Capitol. In the chat, they discussed “shipping guns” to Sandlin’s residence in Tennessee, where they planned to meet prior to their trip.
On January 4th, 2021, before heading to Washington, Sandlin posted to Facebook a picture of Colt lying on a bed holding a firearm, with the caption, “My fellow patriot sleeping ready for the boogaloo Jan 6.” The DOJ Sandlin understood at the time that the term “boogaloo” referred to civil war.
“My fellow patriot sleeping ready for the boogaloo Jan 6.”
Ronald Sandlin
On January 6th, after watching live television coverage of the “Stop the Steal” rally near the Ellipse, at a nearby restaurant, Sandlin live-streamed a video in which he called on “other patriots” to “take the Capitol.” In the video, Sandlin stated four times that “freedom is paid for with blood.”
Sandlin, DeGrave, and Colt then traveled together to the Capitol wearing protective gear, including gas/face masks, helmets, and shin guards. Sandlin was armed with a knife, while DeGrave carried bear spray.
On the Capitol grounds, the men scaled dismantled bike barricades and got past law enforcement officers, pushing through the crowd to get closer to the Capitol building. Sandlin repeatedly yelled things such as “we’re not here to spectate anymore,” “the time to talk is over,” and “if you’re not breaching the building, move out of the way.”
“If you’re not breaching the building, move out of the way.”
Ronald Sandlin
The three men entered the Capitol through the Upper West Terrace door, at about 2:35 p.m. Inside, Sandlin and DeGrave pushed against officers guarding an exterior door to the Capitol Rotunda, slowly forcing the door open and letting a mob stream inside. Sandlin shouted at the officers, “you’re going to die, get out of the way,” before grabbing an officer’s helmet.
The three men then went together up a set of stairs and to a hallway outside the Senate chamber. Sandlin incited others in the mob to prevent U.S. Capitol Police officers from locking the doors to the Senate Gallery, shouting “grab the door.” He began shoving officers in an attempt to keep the doors open. As he did this, his hand made contact with the side of an officer’s head. The trio and dozens of other rioters then gained access to the Senate Gallery, where Sandlin recorded a selfie-style video with his phone, exclaiming: “We took it. We did it.”
Sandlin smoked a cannabis joint in the Rotunda of the Capitol.
U.S. Department of Justice
After leaving the Senate Gallery, Sandlin smoked a cannabis joint in the Rotunda of the Capitol. He also stole a book from a desk in a Senate-side office, which he later described to Colt as a “souvenir.” He also picked up an oil painting from the Capitol and slung it over his shoulder before others in the mob took it off his shoulder. He exited the Capitol at about 3:16 p.m.
Shortly after the riot, Sandlin deleted photographs and messages regarding the events of January 6th from his group chats with Colt, DeGrave, and others.
Sandlin wrote he was “ashamed” and “embarrassed,” calling the January 6th insurrection “a national tragedy.”
8 News Now, Las Vegas
Sandlin and his co-conspirators were arrested in Las Vegas a few weeks after January 6th. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sandlin sobbed during his hearing and begged, “Your honor, have mercy on me. Please.”
“I want to start off by apologizing to the officers I assaulted January 6,” Sandlin said in a statement provided to the judge, according to Las Vegas’ 8 News Now. “I have to live with my abhorrent actions for the rest of my life and I pray that my sentencing gives you and your families peace and resolution.”
Sandlin wrote he was “ashamed” and “embarrassed,” calling the January 6th insurrection “a national tragedy.”
