Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 33
- Location
- Carthage, Texas
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Theft of Government Property; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Alex Harkrider is part of Rescue the Universe, an organization that rescues people affected by hurricanes and tropical storms across the Gulf Coast. A witness who reported Harkrider to the FBI claims he and his friend Ryan Nichols were "planning a civil war," according to federal documents. The criminal complaint alleges Harkrider carried a baton as he and the crowd forced themselves inside the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. "We're in. 2 people killed already. We need all the patriots of this country to rally the f*** up and fight for our freedom or it's gone forever. Give us liberty, or give us death. We won't stand for it," Harkrider captioned photos of himself inside the Capitol building that he posted on Snapchat, according to court documents. Harkrider is a veteran, having attained the rank of lance corporal with the U.S. Marine Corps through his service from 2008 to 2012. The Marine Corps also confirmed to NPR that he was deployed to Iraq in 2009 and then Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011. In a detention order dated Jan. 22, 2021, Judge K. Nicole Mitchell of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas noted Harkrider's correspondence "discussing bringing firearms to the Capitol, evidence that the defendant did bring a weapon with him onto the Capitol grounds, and video evidence of the defendant entering the Capitol building." She added that Harkrider's "mental health history and past abuse of alcohol also support detention."
Case History
Harkrider pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty on all charges in a Stipulated Bench trial held on 1/2/2024. Sentenced on 5/23/2024 to 24 months incarceration; 24 months supervised release; $445 special assessment; $2,000 restitution. Harkrider received a full pardon on January 20, 2025
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR - Supporting Reporting
NPR video evidence pageNPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.