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As the January 6 Capitol rioters face prosecution for their roles in the attack on Capitol Hill, some are trying original defenses for their actions.
Leonard Pearson Ridge IV of Bucks County, Pennsylvania was 19 years old when he committed crimes that contributed to the injuries of 140 police officers, 5 deaths and over $1 million in damages.
The now 20-year-old has been sentenced to 14 days in prison.
14 days?\nThat's it\nReally— NR_Garrett (@NR_Garrett) 1641330435
He\u2019s an adult.— VOTE BLUE in \u201822 so BIDEN HARRIS can save AMERICA (@VOTE BLUE in \u201822 so BIDEN HARRIS can save AMERICA) 1641347738
White privileged gets only 14 days for domestic terrorism on the Capital. Leonard Pearson \u201cPearce\u201d Ridge IV drove to Washington, D.C. to participate in the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, that resulted in more than 140 police officers injured and damages upward of $1.5 million.— SweetSiStar (@SweetSiStar) 1641630631
Wait! I've got it. The judge meant to say 14 years and said 14 days. Right? Or maybe meant to say 2 years, but mistakenly said 2 weeks. WTF?— J Thomas Madden (@J Thomas Madden) 1641569328
Well-written piece, Marisa. I appreciate your inclusion of so much of the judge\u2019s commentary and thoughts.— CovetedIndependentVote (@CovetedIndependentVote) 1641337279
Ridge’s sentence came despite a strange defense by his attorneys.
Defense counsel tried to claim Ridge’s brain wasn’t fully developed enough to take responsibility for the crimes he committed.
Ridge’s attorney, Carina Laguzzi, tried to get leniency from the judge by pointing to studies that the human brain isn’t fully developed until sometime in your mid-20s.
However, there was a mountain of evidence working against Ridge. The then 19-year-old was responsible for breaking open the doors of the offices of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Like many others, Ridge was surprised to receive jail time despite telling a friend on Snapchat he planned to help block the session of Congress.
The defense became less effective in light of this evidence.
A 20-year-old has been sentenced to 14 days in prison for his role in the insurrection, despite his lawyer's argument that his brain may not have been fully developed to understand the crimes he was committing? \n\nSeriously?https://nypost.com/2022/01/06/capitol-rioters-lawyer-claim-clients-brain-wasnt-fully-developed/\u00a0\u2026— Mike (@Mike) 1641567611
Clearly NONE of their brains are fully developed. A 14 sentence is BS. 14 months at the least is warranted. \n\nCapitol rioter's lawyer argued client's brain wasn't fully developed https://nypost.com/2022/01/06/capitol-rioters-lawyer-claim-clients-brain-wasnt-fully-developed/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons\u00a0\u2026 via @nypost— Alison Chevalier (@Alison Chevalier) 1641593228
I mean if you can be trusted enough to go off to war, carry a gun and vote then I\u2019d say you\u2019re capable of knowing right from wrong.— Lisa (@Lisa) 1641562453
pic.twitter.com/6uaEuWi9Ow— Reza Archer (@Reza Archer) 1641527175
Of course the Judge rejected the argument. Anyone that stormed the Capitol at the urging of mental defective Donald Trump over the Big Lie would naturally have a brain that wasn't fully developed. #January6th\n\nLawyer argues brain was not fully developedhttps://www.rawstory.com/capitol-rioter-leonard-pearson-pearce-ridge-iv/\u00a0\u2026— \ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud835\udc7b\ud835\udc90\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc9a \ud835\udc7d\ud835\udc86\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc95\ud835\udc96\ud835\udc93\ud835\udc82\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83d\udc8e (@\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud835\udc7b\ud835\udc90\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc9a \ud835\udc7d\ud835\udc86\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc95\ud835\udc96\ud835\udc93\ud835\udc82\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83d\udc8e) 1641575917
U.S. District Judge John E. Boasberg said of Ridge’s defense:
“There are perhaps people who attended the rally who were swept up in the crowd, or swept up in the moment. But that is not true for you, given your previous statements.”
Ridge’s sentence included the 14 days of jail time previously mentioned, along with 1 year probation, 100 hours of community service and a $1000 fine.