A Ringgold man with an “extensive history” of criminal behavior was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., to 90 days of home detention and three years’ probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
William Frederick Beals, a 53-year-old industrial cleaner, pleaded guilty in May to entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct in a restricted building.
According to court records, Beals was among the rioters on Jan. 6 who broke through police lines on the Lower West Terrace outside the Capitol following a rally by then-President Donald Trump. Once through, he climbed the scaffolding erected for Joe Biden’s inauguration and entered the Capitol building twice, spending less than a combined 15 minutes inside.
While on the Capitol grounds, Beals posed for pictures sitting on a Capitol Police motorcycle and holding a police riot shield. He posted pictures and videos of himself on social media. In one video posted to TikTok, Beals reportedly said, “So we officially took the White House,” apparently confusing one building for the other.
Probation is not an unusual sentence for Jan. 6 defendants not accused of violence or damaging property, and the charges Beals pleaded to carry a maximum of six months’ incarceration. However, prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb to sentence Beals to eight months in prison, citing his lack of remorse, “horrendous criminal history” and behavior after Jan. 6.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cytheria Jernigan wrote that the federal sentencing guidelines for his misdemeanor plea do “not capture Beals’s assault on democracy.”
“Thus, it is critically important for the sentence imposed to appropriate account for his history and characteristics,” she wrote.
Credit: U.S. Department of Justice
Credit: U.S. Department of Justice
According to a court documents, Beals has 21 past criminal convictions in Georgia, California, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Washington for crimes including assault, car theft, burglary and possession of stolen property.
Prosecutors also alleged Beals was a member of the far-right Three Percenter militia movement, pointing to his social media posts, a Three Percenter neck tattoo and texts he exchanged with other militia members following the riot.
Rebecca Shepard, Beals’ federal public defender, argued in a separate brief he should be given no jail time and three years’ probation, which she wrote was “appropriate in light of Mr. Beals’s misdemeanor conduct” during the Capitol riot.
Shepard pointed out Beals’ criminal convictions “occurred more than 10 years ago” and said he had complied with the terms of his bond since his arrest a little more than a year ago.
But prosecutors called Beals’ behavior in the years since the riot “troubling.” Jernigan wrote Beals was a suspect in a simple assault when he went to a drag queen event in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in November 2022 and allegedly threatened a supporter with a hammer.
“Beals posted statements targeting those he believed supported the theater event on social media accounts including Facebook and Instagram saying, the victim ‘almost got to kiss the end of my ball peen hammer,’” Jernigan wrote.
Shepard argued Beals should not be given jail time because he is the sole custodian of his 14-year-old daughter. Incarceration would “destabilize his family,” she wrote.
But Jernigan countered that Beals’ family life was not the picture of stability. According to the prosecution brief, in May 2022 Beals was prohibited from visiting his daughter’s school without advance permission because of his “disruptive and frightening behavior toward others,” including posting photos of a teacher’s bumper sticker and license plate to social media.
“Beals got upset with the perceived presence of Black Lives Matter supporters at the school,” Jernigan wrote.
So far, 33 people with Georgia ties have been arrested and charged as part of the massive, long-running Jan. 6 investigation. Of those, 25 have either pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial, although several Georgia defendants have appealed those convictions.
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