(Mike Osborne) — A Tennessee man agreed to a plea deal this past week after being arrested on nine charges connected to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Of the 26 Tennesseans charged following the 2021 insurrection, Memphis area resident Ronald Sandlin was charged with the largest number of crimes.
Federal officials used video shot by Sandlin and two companions to implicate the 37-year-old in scuffles with police at an entrance to the capitol building and again at the doors of the U.S. Senate Gallery.
Late last week, Ronald Sandlin pleaded guilty to two of the nine charges in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Those charges include Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, and Assault, Resisting or Impeding capitol police.
The two charges carry possible combine maximum prison sentences of more than 40 years.
Thirteen of the 26 Tennesseans arrested in connection with the riot have now accepted plea deals. Nine have been sentenced.
Editor's Note: It is unclear if Ronald Sandlin is a current resident of Tennessee. He was arrested by federal authorities last year in Las Vegas, and federal records list him as a Nevada resident. However, media reports name Sandlin a Tennessee resident citing his social media posts. The Commercial Appeal reports that he lived in Memphis for a time, and that his parents currently reside in Millington, Tenn.