Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 39
- Location
- Smyrna, Tennessee
- Charges
- Civil Disorder (3 counts); Assaulting, Resisting or Impeding Certain Officers; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Wearing a black beanie stitched with a yellow wreath commonly associated with the Proud Boys and a white cowboy hat that referenced the Stop the Steal slogan, Joshua John Portlock allegedly shrugged when officers ordered him out of a tunnel into the U.S. Capitol building. In reply, Portlock allegedly gestured to the crowd surrounding him and said “I can’t with this." He then pleaded with officers to help a fellow rioter having a medical emergency and continued preventing police from closing doors into the Capitol building, according to the statement. Just a half-hour or so before that, FBI agents allege that Portlock pushed open metal barricades and used a large sheet of plywood to drive back a line of police officers in front of the Capitol. Portlock allegedly also joined a crowd of other protesters, chanting “heave-ho” and passing Capitol Police riot shields to other protesters in an attempt to push past officers blocking access to the tunnel into the Capitol. Portlock is a manager with Mitsubishi Motors, according to a LinkedIn page referenced in the FBI statement of facts. He was arrested on Nov. 3, 2021, in Smyrna, Tenn. According to sentencing memos filed in court, Portlock served briefly in the U.S. Army.
Case History
Portlock pleaded Guilty to one charge: Assaulting, Resisting or Impeding Certain Officers. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 4/17/2024 to 20 Months of Incarceration; 24 Months of Supervised Release; $100 Special Assessment; Restitution of $2,000; 40 hours of community service. Portlock 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.