Virginia school board member sentenced for role in January 6 US Capitol riot

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — A federal judge sentenced a school board member from Frederick County, Va. on Monday for taking part in the riot at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Miles Brandon Adkins represents the Shawnee District of the Frederick County School Board.

Adkins entered a guilty plea to two counts brought against him during his court appearance Monday. A judge sentenced him to 24 months of probation on each count, to run concurrently. As a condition of his probation, Adkins has to serve 12 days of intermittent confinement, which must take place on consecutive weekends. In terms of financial punishment, Adkins has to pay $1,520 which breaks down in this way:

• $1,000 fine
• $500 restitution
• $20 special assessment

According to the criminal complaint filed against Adkins in United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found that Adkins sent messages related to the riot to Facebook friends. The FBI said in one message, Adkins detailed his plans for his trip to D.C. on Jan. 6 and offered the friend a ride.

The court paperwork goes on to outline Adkins’s movements that day, referring to pictures and videos that placed him in the U.S. Capitol.

The FBI said during an interview with the agency, Adkins explained he went to D.C. on Jan. 6 to hear then-President Donald Trump speak. He acknowledged that he walked to the Capitol building with a large group of people and claimed that there were no barriers when they arrived. Adkins told the FBI he saw people scuffle with police and heard noises that the thought were flashbang detonations outside of the Capitol building. Adkins would not talk about what he did inside the U.S. Capitol. He told the FBI he had been to D.C. a few times prior to Jan. 6. On those occasions, Adkins said he was an escort for people associated with Oath Keepers. He said he was in touch with a member of the group on Jan. 6 via an app.

Among other things, the FBI said once Adkins was in the Capitol, he waved other rioters into the building and helped one person climb into the building through a broken window.

Investigators said Adkins could be seen with a large, canned beverage at one point and that he later acknowledged it was he in a message on social media, “bragging that he drank a Coors Lite beer in the U.S. Capitol building.”

The criminal complaint documents Adkins’ activities after that, noting that shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 6 he exited the Capitol building by way of the Memorial Door. Investigators said once Adkins was outside, he yelled, “Let’s go get a beer, let’s go get a beer!”

Adkins’s sentencing was scheduled to take place Monday morning.

In response to the sentencing, the Frederick County School Board issued a statement, noting that it remained focused on students:

The Frederick County School Board takes seriously its commitment to supervise and support our school division. As members elected to serve on this Board, we remain focused on working together to support our students, staff, and others who play an integral role in educating the children in our communities. We are aware of the court’s decision to sentence Mr. Adkins. However, our focus will stay where it needs to: on the children in our county. We will continue to make decisions that serve in the best interests of our students while working to ensure that the educational environment in our schools is not disrupted by these events.

Frederick County School Board

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