A Penns Valley man was convicted Thursday of using a metallic pole to attack a police officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, his defense lawyers said.
Terry L. Allen, 65, of Spring Mills, was found guilty Thursday of nearly all the charges against him following a two-day bench trial before U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta.
He was convicted of seven charges, including counts of civil disorder, assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon and entering and remaining in a restricted building with a deadly weapon.
He was acquitted of one count of assaulting and officer with a dangerous weapon, defense lawyers Nicole Cubbage and Kira West said. The charge alleged Allen used an about 5-foot wooden flagpole as a lance to attack an officer in a restricted area.
His lawyers declined further comment. He was released pending his sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 14.
He became the third man with a known connection to Centre County to be convicted for his role in the attack that interrupted certifying the 2020 Electoral College vote.
Justice Department prosecutors alleged Allen used the wooden flagpole before throwing a 2-foot metallic pole at officers who were standing less than 10 feet away.
He was arrested in July 2023 after FBI agents reviewed video footage from the Capitol that showed him wearing, among other things, a camouflage “Trump” hat.
During an interview that lasted about four hours, prosecutors said Allen initiated conversation that touched on his political beliefs , prior criminal charges and association with various organizations.
Court documents did not make clear if Allen was or is a member of the Oath Keepers, one of the largest far-right antigovernment militia groups in the country. West wrote in a filing that Allen is “not a member,” but prosecutors said Allen told investigators after his arrest that he is “affiliated with the Oath Keepers.”
His conviction Thursday for assaulting a police officer was not his first.
Allen pleaded guilty to a felony count of aggravated assault after being charged in 1984 for repeatedly slamming a State College police officer’s head into the pavement, according to a charging document. He served two years in the Centre County Correctional Facility.
Thursday’s conviction made him the latest person with connections to Centre County to be convicted of Jan. 6 crimes.
Julian Khater, the former owner of Frutta Bowls in downtown State College , pleaded guilty in September 2022 to two felony counts of assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced to six years, eight months in prison and was fined $10,000. He’s incarcerated at a federal prison in Connecticut and is scheduled to be released November 2026.
Brian Gundersen, of State College, was found guilty in November 2022 by a federal judge of obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting a law enforcement officer. He was sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison and three years of supervised release. He was released from prison in April.
Nearly 1,500 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol riot, including at least 80 Pennsylvanians. The Justice Department’s investigation is ongoing.
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