Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 35
- Location
- Prichard, West Virginia
- Charges
- Impeding, Obstructing or Interfering with Law Enforcement During a Civil Disorder
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
The night before the Capitol siege, Derrick Evans, who was elected to the West Virginia House in November, posted a photo that appeared to show passengers on a bus. "Two bus loads of Patriots from WV, KY, and Ohio are loaded up and heading to DC. #StopTheSteal," read the caption. The next day, according to court documents, Evans posted a video of crowds at the National Mall. "They're making an announcement right now saying if Pence betrays us, you better get your mind right because we're storming that building," he says in the video. "I'm just the messenger, so don't be hating on me. I'm just telling you what I'm hearing on the ground." Later that day, as rioters swarmed the Capitol building, Evans allegedly started livestreaming a video that shows him egging on a crowd trying to enter the building. "There we go! Open the door!" he's heard saying. Minutes later, Evans shouts, "We're in, we're in, we're in. ... Let's go — keep it moving, baby!" In the days leading up to the Capitol attack, Evans talked about his plans to travel to Washington in a couple of Facebook posts. "A STORM IS COMING ... AND THERE IS NOTHING THE LEFT CAN DO TO STOP IT!" he posted on Dec. 31. In another post, he shared a tweet by then-President Donald Trump that said, "Just happened to have found another 4000 ballots from Fulton County" — a reference to the baseless claim of election fraud. "This is why we are going to DC. #StopTheSteal," Evans said in the caption. Evans resigned after the Justice Department announced its charges against him.
Case History
Evans pleaded Guilty to the single charge. Sentenced 6/22/2022 to three months in jail, three years of supervised release, $2,000 fine, $2,000 restitution; $100 special assessment. Evans 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.