CARTHAGE, Texas — The sentencing for an East Texas man convicted in connection with the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been postponed.
In January, Alex Harkrider, of Carthage, was found guilty on seven counts, including obstruction of an official proceeding and entering and remaining in a restricted building with a dangerous weapon. He is set to be sentenced Thursday in a federal court based in Washington D.C.
In a court appearance Thursday, Harkrider was scheduled to be sentenced but our sister station WUSA reports the hearing broke down over a disagreement about the third acceptance of responsibility credit that is granted for saving the government the expense of the trial. The Department of Justice said Harkrider didn't agree to a stipulated trial until one business day before the trial was set to begin, and they still had to prepare witnesses. An evidentiary hearing will now be held at a later date.
According to court documents, the federal government was asking the court to sentence Harkrider to three years in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $2,000 and special assessment fees totaling $445.
Prosecutors said Harkrider "extensively planned for violence." He also wore body armor, carried a tomahawk axe and stole a broken piece of a chair from the Capitol building.
Meanwhile, his defense team requested Harkrider receive time served, 120 hours of community service and $2,000 restitution, documents show. Our sister station WUSA reports Harkrider's time served would be about three months.
The defense cited the following reasons of why they recommended this particular sentence: Harkrider doesn't need incarceration, his history of strong work ethic and volunteer service like serving in the Marines, and "his peaceful, non-destructive and non-violent behavior that day both outside and inside the Capitol building."
His co-defendant, Ryan Taylor Nichols, of Longview, was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison on May 2 for assaulting police and brandishing a crowbar at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He was sentenced to 64 months in prison and fined $200,000. WUSA reported that he recruited Harkrider to join him in D.C. on Jan. 6.
Harkrider wrote in a letter to the judge saying that he acknowledged the severity of his actions and he fell short of values that he learned as a Marine Corps infantryman serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He noted his efforts to assist in disaster relief in the past, allowing him to give back in a meaningful way. He helped in a search-and-rescue nonprofit that Nichols founded after leaving the Marines.
In 2022, a judge allowed Harkrider to travel to Florida for two weeks to help after Hurricane Ian. He was also given permission to travel and assist in other disaster relief, according to WUSA.
Harkrider added he has started a catering business that seeks to make a positive impact in his community.
"However, my participation in the events at the Capitol has cast a long shadow over these efforts, and for that, I am profoundly sorry," Harkrider said, adding his actions let down the most important people in his life.
He said he is committed to proving that his mistakes don't define his whole character while seeking to continue his ongoing disaster relief work and new business.
"I understand the need to face the consequences of my actions, and I am prepared to do so, but I also humbly request the chance to demonstrate my capacity for making amends and for genuine rehabilitation," Harkrider wrote in the letter. "Thank you for considering my commitment to change and my heartfelt remorse. I am ready to accept responsibility and recommit myself to a life of service and integrity."