WASHINGTON – A Bedford County man who once worked for the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, was found guilty of five felony charges on October 11th in Washington, D.C. The charges against Ronald Colton McAbee were related to a breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

According the the U.S. Department of Justice, 29-year-old McAbee who lives in Unionville, Tennessee, was convicted of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.

In addition to the charges McAbee was found guilty of this past week, he previously plead guilty to a separate felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer and a misdemeanor charge for an act of physical violence on the Capitol grounds. That verdict was before U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras in the District of Columbia.

On January 6, 2021, police in D.C. responded to the U.S. Capitol building to assist U.S. Capitol Police with maintaining the security of the Capitol. When officers arrived at the Archway of an interior tunnel, they were met by hundreds of individuals that were gathered with makeshift weapons. In the ongoing commotion, one of the officers was knocked to the ground, kicked and stripped of his baton. It was at that point that McAbee was accused grabbing the downed officers leg while pulling him into the crowd. As another officer moved in to assist their downed man, McAbee took a swing at the officer's head and torso. Evidently, the Unionville culprit made contact with the officer while “...wearing reinforced knuckle gloves at the time of the assault.”

A news release from the United States Attorney's Office highlighted, “McAbee then returned his attention to the downed officer and lifted him by the torso and shoulders. As a result, McAbee and the officer slid down a set of steps, with McAbee falling on top of the officer. The two landed in the crowd, where McAbee lay on top of the officer while other rioters assailed the officer for over 20 seconds before the officer was finally able to get up and work his way back to the Archway. The officer sustained physical injuries, including a head laceration, concussion, elbow injury, bruising, and bodily abrasions. The officer was transported to the hospital and treated for his injuries."

McAbee will be back before Judge Contreras for sentencing next year on February 29, 2024.

In the 33 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,100 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 400 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.