Washington, D.C. — A man from Utica accused of dragging a Capitol police officer down a set of steps on Jan. 6, 2021 so that a mob could beat him with an American flag was convicted Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C.
Jeffrey Sabol, who now lives in Colorado and works as a geophysicist, was found guilty at a stipulated bench trial on robbery, assault and obstructing an official proceeding charges.
Sabol, 53, traveled with a group to D.C. with zip ties, a trauma kit and a buck knife, according to court documents. He told investigators he believed the 2020 election was stolen.
Sabol watched Donald Trump’s speech on the Ellipse before walking to the Capitol, according to court filings.
He and other rioters attempting to reverse the results of the 2020 election were met with a line of police officers in riot gear outside the Capitol’s west entrance.
Later, video shows Sabol ripping a baton from an officer’s hand, causing him to fall down steps, where he was beaten and kicked. He helped drag another officer down to the crowd that beat him with a flagpole and a baton.
In the days after Jan. 6, afraid he’d be arrested, Sabol deleted text messages between him and the group he traveled to D.C. with, dropped his phone in water, microwaved his laptop and booked a flight to Zurich, Switzerland, prosecutors said.
When he couldn’t board the plane in Boston, he rented a car and fled. He got as far as Westchester, New York, where police arrested him on Jan. 11.
Sabol’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 19.
Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him: Email | Twitter or at 315-690-6950.
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