Arizona man who wore horns in riot pleads guilty to felony

Chansley acknowledged to being one of the first 30 pro-Trump rioters to stream into the Capitol building. While in the Capitol, he wrote a note to Vice President Pence saying, “It’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.”

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National News

September 3, 2021 - 8:41 PM

Jacob Chansley, right with fur hat, and other protesters interact with Capitol Police inside the U.S. Capitol Building on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images/TNS) Photo by (Win McNamee/Getty Images/TNS)

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona man who sported face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns when he joined the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 pleaded guilty Friday to a felony charge and wants to be released from jail while he awaits sentencing.

Jacob Chansley, who was widely photographed in the Senate chamber with a flagpole topped with a spear, could face 41 to 51 months in prison under sentencing guidelines, a prosecutor said. The man who called himself “QAnon Shaman” has been jailed for nearly eight months since his arrest.

Before entering the plea, Chansley was found by a judge to be mentally competent after having been transferred to a Colorado facility for a mental health evaluation. His lawyer Albert Watkins said the solitary confinement that Chansley faced for most of his time in jail has had an adverse effect on his mental health and that his time in Colorado helped him regain his sharpness.

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