Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 66
- Location
- Summerville, South Carolina
- Charges
- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Prosecutors say David Johnston traveled to Washington, D.C., with his neighbor Chadwick Clifton, who is also charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. In a social media video of Clifton, the FBI says, he identifies the person with him as Dave, and a witness reportedly confirmed that the person was Johnston. He wore metal-rimmed glasses, a dark North Face jacket, yellow gloves and a winter hat with “Trump” and “45” on it, court documents show. Cellphone records, prosecutors say, show Johnston’s phone used a cell site consistent with an area including the Capitol. The FBI says Johnston can also be seen on surveillance footage from inside the building. Johnston was arrested in May 2022.
Case History
Johnston pleaded Guilty to one charge: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 12/16/2022 to 36 months Probation with 21 days of intermittent confinement and 90 days location monitoring; special assessment of $10; a fine of $2,500; and restitution of $500. Johnston 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.