WASHINGTON, D.C. – Federal prosecutors want an Orlando college student to spend more than three years in prison for his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Grady Owens was a student at Full Sail University when he was arrested by FBI agents in April of 2021.
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Prosecutors claimed he hit a Capitol police officer with his skateboard during the attack on the Capitol.
Last November, Owens agreed to a plea deal, entering a guilty plea to two counts – assaulting an officer and disorderly conduct inside the U.S. Capitol.
Owens faces a maximum sentence of eight-and-a-half years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
In its sentencing memorandum filed on Friday in Washington, D.C.’s U.S. District Court, prosecutors asked a federal judge to sentence Owens to 40 months in prison with three years of supervised release.
They also want him to pay an undetermined amount of restitution.
They explained their reasoning by retracing Owens’ trip to the Capitol.
“Grady Owens began to taunt USPC officers as they attempted to protect the Capitol building and maintain order,” prosecutors wrote. “Grady Owens made many statements while recording video on the lawn, including, ‘That ain’t gonna do much traitor…Hold these traitors accountable,’ ‘We will not concede,’ ‘They breached it. You can’t stop us,’ and ‘Tear gas ain’t s***, folks.’”
They continued.
“At approximately 2:00 P.M., Officer C.B. had to move people out of his way as he nears Grady Owens. Grady then raised his skateboard above his head, and brought it down, with full force, onto the right side of Officer C.B.”
Owens’ attorney, Pat Munroe Woodward Jr., responded in a separate document filed on Friday.
“Grady made a terrible split-second mistake when he hit Officer C.B. with a skateboard,” he wrote.
Owens submitted his own letter to the court asking for leniency.
“That day will forever be one of the worst days of my life. The day that I didn’t conduct myself with positivity and love,” he wrote. “After seeing the videos that I took, and hearing the things that I said, I became deeply ashamed. I have lost many nights of sleep thinking of how stupid I was to say what I said, and I have thought about those words, and their impact every day since. I have many friends and family members in law enforcement, and knowing that I have let them down and disrespected them brings me great shame.”
Owens’ attorney asked the court for mercy in its sentencing, which is scheduled for June 23.
[READ OWENS’ FULL LETTER]
Grady Owens Letter by Christie Zizo on Scribd
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