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On Thursday, April 13, Logan Barnhart, a former bodybuilder who also moonlighted as a cover model for romance novels, was sentenced to three years for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Logan Barnhart, 42, who had a day job as a pipe layer in his hometown of Michigan at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty in September 2022 to assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers with a deadly weapon during the Capitol riots.
As per NBC News, Barnhart, who was featured on several romance novel covers, including Nicole Snow's Stepbrother UnSEALed: A Bad Boy Military Romance, was arrested in August 2021 after he was identified by online sleuths who used facial recognition to match his profile from the Capitol riots to the photographs from his modeling career.
Logan Barnhart is accused of dragging a police officer down the stairs of the U.S. Capitol
Detailing his role in the riots, prosecutors said that Logan Barnhart dragged an officer identified as Morris Moore down the stairs of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 before exiting an archway where a violent mob waited to afflict more pain by attacking the cop with weapons, including a baton.
As per NBC News, Barnhart then reportedly returned to the archway to join a mob who were assaulting a line of officers by slamming riot shields into them. Prosecutors said:
“Minutes later, Barnhart returned to the police line in the Archway where other rioters were assaulting the line of officers by slamming riot shields into them, striking them, and throwing objects at them. Barnhart joined these rioters in charging against the police line. Barnhart then approached the line of officers wielding a flagpole and used it to strike the officers.”
In addition to three years in prison, Barnhart was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $3,688 fine plus $2,000 in restitution after prosecutors argued that anyone who brazenly attacks a law enforcement officer also poses a significant danger to the community.
Logan Barnhart apologized for his role in the Capitol attack
Before the sentencing, Logan Barnhart reportedly wrote a letter to Officer Morris More, who was dragged through the Capitol by the suspect.
In the letter, a seemingly contrite Barnhart apologized for the actions he said he deeply regrets. He conveyed to the officer that he was tormented by his role in the riots, noting that he spent months trying to forget the incident as his actions on that day always evoked a deep sense of embarrassment that he did not wish to relive. Part of the letter read:
"I didn't brag or boast about my actions to anyone. In fact, I withheld the truth from all my friends and family. I knew they would all be ashamed of what I did and for good reason."
Barnhart, who has been in home detention while awaiting his sentencing, was ordered to remain under house arrest until he reports to prison on a date that is yet to be determined.
