As recently as Monday, four Coloradans were still serving time in federal prisons around the country for violence they committed during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
By Tuesday, all four were free.
According to a search of the federal Bureau of Prisons database, the men freed on Monday are:
Tyler Ethridge, Colorado Springs
Ethridge, 33, was originally charged with one count of felony civil disorder and five misdemeanor-related offenses. Investigators presented evidence that, during the riot, Ethridge climbed scaffolding erected for the upcoming inauguration and encouraged the crowd to keep moving, and also entered the Capitol himself. He posted videos on social media during the riot and remained active online after Jan. 6th, posting on September 24, 2021, "Don't be afraid of what they sentence you with. I'm not. I'm ready for whatever I'll be charged with. America is still primed and ready." In October of 2023, a federal judge found Ethridge guilty on several charges and sentenced him to 33 months in prison.
Jonathan David Grace, Colorado Springs
According to court documents, Grace participated in a confrontation with law enforcement officers in the Lower West Terrace and tunnel areas of the Capitol. Grace was among the rioters who used stolen police shields to push against and hit officers. He sprayed chemical irritants and threw projectiles at officers guarding the doors while chanting “Heave ho!” and “Push!” After officers cleared the tunnel, Grace remained near the entrance and watched rioters drag and brutally attack an officer. In October 2023, he pled guilty to one count of assaulting officers and in January 2024, he was sentenced to two years in federal prison.
Patrick Montgomery, Littleton
The Littleton resident originally faced four charges, including Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct at the Grounds and in a Capitol Building. Several months after his arrest, Montgomery was placed on house arrest after FBI agents learned that he had hunted a mountain lion using a pistol, despite having a felony record for robbery which bars him from legally owning a gun. According to a filing from prosecutors, Montgomery also admitted to using dogs to illegally kill a bobcat. In March, 2024, Montgomery was convicted of two felonies. However, one of those charges was subsequently dismissed after the U.S. Supreme Court's Fischer ruling. He was sentenced last October to 37 months in prison on the charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, followed by 36 months of parole.
Jeffrey Sabol, Jefferson County
Sabol is from Colorado but was arrested in upstate New York in the days after the riot. After officers pulled him over for driving erratically he told them he was wanted by the FBI for his role in the attack on the Capitol. Authorities say that in the days following Jan. 6, the then 51-year-old made plans to fly to Switzerland to evade arrest. When that fell through, he tried to kill himself. Sabol was charged with assaulting a Capitol police officer who was defending the building, punching him and dragging him down the stairs into the crowd, where the man was beaten further. Because of his alleged attempt to flee the country, a judge ordered him held until trial. In August, 2023, Sabol was found guilty of three felony charges after a bench trial. He was sentenced to more than five years in prison.
Six other Coloradans had already completed their prison sentences before Monday’s pardon.
The most recent one to be released was Avery Carter MacCracken of Telluride, who left prison on Dec. 16 last year. MacCracken was arrested in late 2021 and charged with numerous felonies, including assaulting an officer. In October 2023, he pled guilty to a single felony and was sentenced to just over a year in federal prison.
Jacob Travis Clark of Trinidad was released on Sept. 17, 2024. Videos show Clark confronting and threatening Capitol police at multiple places inside the Capitol. He was found guilty at trial and in September of 2023 was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison, followed by a year of supervised release.
Robert Gieswein of Woodland Park left prison on June 14, 2024. He had been sentenced to four years on two counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon. During the Capitol breach, Gieswein encouraged people to break into the building, as well as intimidated and assaulted U.S. Capitol Police officers using a baseball bat and some kind of aerosol irritant.
Last February, Timothy Wayne Williams of Trinidad was released after pleading guilty to two charges and being sentenced to six months in prison.
Thomas Patrick Hamner of Peyton pled guilty to a single charge and was sentenced to up to 30 months in prison. He was released on Dec. 26, 2023. Federal prosecutors said videos show Hamner fighting with police over a makeshift barricade they had erected out of bike racks, and later joining other rioters in using a large metal sign to try to break through the officers' line to get to the building.
Jennifer Horvath of Colorado Springs was identified in a video putting sunglasses and a hat on a statue of Winston Churchill inside the Capitol. Videos also captured her marching with a crowd inside the building, chanting "Who's house? Our house" and yelling at police officers who attempted to block their progress. Horvath pled guilty to a single charge and was sentenced in November 2022 to 90 days home confinement and three years of probation. The Bureau of Prisons website shows she left its custody on Feb. 25, 2023.
