WASHINGTON D.C. – Jonathan Rockholt, a Palm Coast resident, has been sentenced for his role in the riots at the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021. Rockholt was given five months for reportedly pushing back police in a tunnel and stealing a riot shield.
Rockholt was among a group of Palm Coast residents present at the Capitol riots, but was likely the most active participant out of those who were. He is tied to the Three Percenters, a far-right extremist movement which pledges itself to overthrowing what it perceives as government tyranny.
Photos from the riots emerged appearing to depict Rockholt on-scene in tactical gear, with a baseball helmet, and carrying a knife. Also present was Ormond Beach’s Joe Biggs, a leader in the Proud Boys organization who was convicted on charges of seditious conspiracy.
According to figures from the United States Department of Justice, Florida accounted for the most arrests tied to the January 6th insurrection, even given its lack of proximity to Washington D.C.
Defense attorneys for Rockholt claimed he was ‘caught up in the moment’ while cheering for former President Donald Trump, who has been accused of inciting the deadly riots that sought to keep him in office. They contested that he was being pushed by the rest of the crowd and that he did not intend to move the line himself. As for the riot shield, Rockholt’s attorneys offered no excuses for what they called ‘a lapse of judgment’.
Chris Gollon is a Flagler County resident since 2004, as well as a staple of the local independent music scene and avid observer of Central Florida politics, arts, and recreation.
