An Army veteran from Illinois, William Lewis, 58, has been sentenced to over three years in prison for his actions during the January 6th riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Lewis used a can of wasp and hornet spray on police officers who were trying to protect the Capitol building from the rioters. He later broke windows of the Capitol with a police baton he had stolen... Continue reading here ▶
Prosecutors wanted him to serve nearly five years in prison. They said he was eager to be part of the riot and that spraying the officers with bug spray made a bad situation even worse.
They also pointed out that he showed no remorse for what he did.
Lewis admitted being at the Capitol to support a particular political figure and said he believed the 2020 election was unfair. He hoped his presence would stop Congress from officially counting the votes.
Lewis claimed he didn’t mean to spray the officers and that he was actually trying to help them by spraying other rioters who had been pepper-sprayed by the police.
Prosecutors highlighted Lewis’s past, which includes a burglary where he threatened a neighbor with a box cutter, and several drunk driving incidents during his time in the Army that led to his being barred from re-enlisting.
They argued that his military background made his actions on January 6th even worse, as he should have understood the importance of respecting the law and the Constitution.
Lewis’s lawyer asked for less prison time, saying that Lewis had helped others throughout his life but struggled with addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder since serving in Iraq in the early 1990s. The lawyer said Lewis regretted his actions and felt he had been misled.
At least seven police officers were hit by the bug spray Lewis used. One officer felt a burning sensation on his face and eyes. After spraying the officers, Lewis threw the can at them.
Online investigators nicknamed Lewis “CarharttWasp” because of his Carhartt hat and the wasp spray.
