Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 25
- Location
- Taylor, Michigan
- Charges
- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building; Stepping, Climbing, Removing, or Injuring Property on the Capitol Grounds
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
According to court documents, Jeramiah Caplinger told a Detroit news website in mid-February that he scaled the U.S. Capitol's wall and went inside the building during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Caplinger told the news organization the events of 2020 “fueled outrage” among former President Trump’s supporters and “being told the election was stolen was one poke too many." Videos from social media show Caplinger wearing a red bucket hat labeled Trump 2020 and carrying an American flag attached to a tree branch through the halls of the Capitol, according to court documents. Caplinger also told the Detroit news website he hopes to run for political office some day and said, “My rage towards the establishment, Democrats and RINO Republicans is great. Think of Pompeii when it was destroyed by Mount Vesuvius.”
Case History
Caplinger pleaded Guilty to one charge: Stepping, Climbing, Removing, or Injuring Property on the Capitol Grounds. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced 8/1/2022 to 35 days in jail; 24 months of probation; 60 hours of community service; $500 restitution; $10 special assessment. Resentenced on 4/16/2024 to 24 Months of Probation; 35 days intermittent confinement with credit for time served; Special Assessment $10; Restitution: $500; 60 hours community service. Caplinger 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.