Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 39
- Location
- Chilton, Texas
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Destruction of Government Property; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Federal prosecutors say they first learned about Christopher Grider's alleged involvement in the Capitol riot because he gave an interview to a local TV station in Texas. "The president asked people to come and show their support. I feel like it’s the least that we can do. It’s kind of why I came from central Texas all the way to D.C.,” Grider told KWTX. Grider said he witnessed the police shooting of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed by a Capitol Police officer while trying to climb through a broken window inside the Capitol. Prosecutors allege that Grider handed his helmet to another rioter, who used the helmet to break the glass window that Babbitt then tried to climb through. Grider also allegedly "attempted to push open the doors and then kick the doors in an attempt to breach the entrance leading to House Chamber where members of Congress were located." Grider was arrested in Austin, Texas, on Jan. 21, 2021, and later indicted on multiple charges, including destruction of government property. According to a sentencing memorandum filed by the Department of Justice in federal court, Grider served in the U.S. Army National Guard and the U.S. Air Force. According to Grider's own sentencing memorandum, he was given an honorable medical discharge for a respiratory condition before he could serve in Afghanistan. When asked how it felt to have his military experience end, he reportedly said: “I felt like I lost my family... It is a feeling of you can never go home again.”
Case History
Grider pleaded Pleaded Guilty to two charges on 12/12/2022: Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; and Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. A Bench Trial was held on the remaining charges. On 12/21/2022, Grider was found Guilty on the remaining 7 charges. Sentenced on 5/24/2023 to 83 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release; a $812 fine; restitution of $5,044; special assessment of $405. Grider 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
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.