Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 51
- Location
- Kittridge, Colorado
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers (2 counts); Civil Disorder (4 counts); Robbery in a Federal Enclave; Inflicting Bodily Injury on Certain Officers and Aiding and Abetting; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon and Aiding and Abetting; 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; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Federal prosecutors have alleged that Jeffrey Sabol punched and dragged a Capitol Police officer down stairs outside the Capitol during the rioting. Sabol was wearing a black helmet, tan jacket and green backpack, prosecutors say, and can be seen in several videos of the melee. On Jan. 11, 2021, five days after the rioting, police in New City, N.Y., pulled Jeffrey Sabol over because he was driving erratically, according to court documents. He was "found covered in blood, suffering from severe lacerations to both thighs and arms," prosecutors say, which Sabol told officers were self-inflicted wounds. He also told police he was "fighting tyranny in the DC Capital." Once in custody, federal investigators showed Sabol video of the fighting outside the Capitol. Sabol "acknowledged that the video seemed to depict him throwing punches at the police officer," prosecutors say, but Sabol claimed he was just "patting him on the back." Sabol allegedly told investigators that he picked up the officer's baton at one point, and claimed he used it to protect the officer, but later said "he could not recall if he hit the police officer with the baton because he was in a fit of rage and the details are cloudy." Prosecutors claim that Sabol had bought a plane ticket and was attempting to flee to Switzerland before he was arrested. The Denver Post reported that Sabol's lawyer said Sabol had been steadily employed for decades as a geophysicist and had the support of family. But a federal judge denied his request for release, referring to the charges against Sabol as "very disturbing."
Case History
Sabol pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. A Stipulated Bench Trial held 8/18/2023 found him Guilty on three charges: Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Robbery; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 3/21/2024 to 63 Months of incarceration (with credit for time served); Supervised Release of 36 months; Special Assessment of $300; Restitution of $32,165.65. Sabol 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.