Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Location
- Washington, D.C.
- Charges
- Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon; Civil Disorder; 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; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly Conduct in Capitol 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
Mark Ponder was allegedly recorded repeatedly striking police with a long pole during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. After officers tackled him to the ground, he was arrested but officers eventually released him back into the crowd. "Eventually, the officers learn that transport will not be arriving for Ponder and that they are needed for continued crowd control," said an FBI agent in charging documents. "At that point, they inform Ponder that he will be released." Federal investigators reviewed police body camera footage from that day and learned that Ponder later returned to the Capitol grounds, ending up on the Inauguration stage almost two hours after he was released. They believe he left after tear gas was deployed on the crowd.
Case History
Ponder pleaded Guilty to one charge: Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced 7/26/2022 to 63 months in prison; 3 years of supervised release; $2,000 restitution; special assessment of $100. Ponder 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.