Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 40
- Location
- Cecilia, Kentucky
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; 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; Entering and Remaining on the Floor of Congress; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
After Jan. 6, 2021, an anonymous tipster contacted the FBI with a photo showing suspected rioters inside the U.S. Capitol in which a man was circled. According to court documents, the tipster wrote: “The man in the red circle is Joseph Irwin of the Elizabethtown, KY area. Retired Army and retired Hardin County Police Officer. I [don't] know him well enough to have contact information, but I do recognize him in the photo.” The Hardin County, Ky., Sheriff's Office confirmed to the FBI that Irwin was a former employee, and the sheriff and a lieutenant there also confirmed it was Irwin in the photo, according to court documents. Irwin also allegedly appears in security camera footage from the Capitol that day. According to a sentencing memo filed by the defendant in court, Irwin served in the U.S. Army and as a Sheriff's deputy in Hardin County.
Case History
Irwin pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty in a Bench trial on 5/14/2024 on all charges. The court vacated the Obstruction conviction on 11/22/2024. Sentencing reset for 1/22/2025. On 1/21/2025, the court grants the government’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice.
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.