Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 40
- Location
- Magnolia, Kentucky
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Civil Disorder; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers (2 counts); Destruction of Government Property; 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; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in any of the Capitol Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
"We're getting in that building," said Joseph Howe in publicly available video footage as he and his coworkers walked towards the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, according to court documents. At the Northwest steps, Howe wrestled bike racks away from police, who were using them to hold rioters back. Howe can also be seen holding a baton and had donned eye goggles and a gas mask. Security footage shows Howe pushing a Capitol police officer out of the way as he ascends the stairs towards the Upper West Terrace and the Senate Wing Door, which he kicks. At around 2:13 p.m., Howe enters the U.S. Capitol through the Senate Wing Door and can be seen on surveillance cameras entering the Crypt, using his phone and verbally engaging with police. At 2:38 p.m. Howe exits the Crypt. In voluntary interviews with the FBI, Howe positively identified himself in photographs and video still frames at the U.S. Capitol. Howe was arrested in Elizabethtown, Kentucky on October 28, 2022.
Case History
Howe pleaded Guilty to two charges: Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 10/20/2023 to 50 months of Incarceration; 12 months of Supervised Release; Special Assessment of $100; Restitution in the amount of $2,000. Howe 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.