“His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election,” prosecutors said.
Clayton Ray Mullins, 54, of Benton, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras. There is no parole in the federal system.
In addition, Mullis was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution to the Architect of the Capitol, $30,165 in restitution to a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer for medical expenses, and $49,764 in fines.
Mullins pled guilty on September 6, 2023, to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers.
According to court documents, on the morning of January 6, 2021, Mullins attended the “Stop the Steal” rally that was being held at the Ellipse, and afterward marched toward the U.S. Capitol building with others. At about 2:00 p.m., Mullins was in the crowd of rioters gathered on the West Plaza, facing off against an established police line behind a barricaded fence.
From about 2:07 p.m. through approximately 2:28 p.m., court documents say that Mullins was actively involved with others in pushing against the barricade and the officers in an attempt advance to the Capitol.
At approximately 2:28 p.m., the rioters prevailed and took over the West Plaza, and the police officers retreated to the Lower West Terrace and eventually escaped into the nearest entrance to the Capitol building, a narrow hallway known as the Tunnel.
(The Tunnel was created by the construction of the Inauguration stage and was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6, prosecutors said.)
At approximately 4:16 p.m., Mullins made his way to the Archway and began waving other rioters forward to join a group of people pushing to gain access to the Capitol building through the Archway and Tunnel. Mullins then entered the Tunnel himself and joined other rioters attempting to push their way through and into the Capitol building.
By about 4:21 p.m., officers inside the Tunnel had pushed the rioters, including Mullins, out and back to the mouth of the Archway. Police then established a defensive line at the Archway.
After exiting the Tunnel, court documents say Mullins was positioned on the Capitol steps below the Archway. Mullins leaned over a handrail and made multiple attempts to grab the leg of an MPD officer, who had been knocked to the ground. Eventually, Mullins succeeded, as he secured his grip on the officer’s leg and, prosecutors stated, “violently pulled on it for at least 20 seconds.”
Ultimately, the officer was dragged down the Capitol steps, where he was attacked by other rioters.
After this attack, prosecutors stated Mullins turned his attention to another MPD officer who had just been assaulted and dragged down the Capitol steps. When the officer attempted to climb back up the steps to rejoin the other officers in the defensive line at the Archway, Mullins pushed the officer back down the steps and into the crowd of rioters.
The FBI arrested Mullins on February 23, 2021, in Mayfield.
This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky assisted in prosecuting Mullins.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Louisville Field Offices, which identified Mullins as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #131 on the agency’s “seeking information photos.”
In the 36 months since January 6, 2021, more than 1,265 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
(Photo: Clayton Ray Mullins attacking officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, courtesy of the FBI)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
