Bucks County Man Sentenced In Capitol Riots

CHURCHVILLE, PA — A Churchville man has been sentenced to probation and to paid restitutions for his involvement in the Capitol riots that took place on Wednesday, Jan. 6.

Gary Edwards, 68, was a part of the large group that made its way into the Capitol building during the riots. He is one of the now over 700 people arrested for their involvement in the national incident.

Edwards, after his trial took place in a Washington, D.C. federal courtroom, was sentenced to one year of probation, along with a fine of $2,500 and to pay a restitution of $500 to help pay for the nearly $1.5 million in damages caused by rioters that day. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg .

According to video footage and testimonies, Edwards, seen in a 'Make America Great Again' ski cap, took a bus with his ministry from Newtown to the National Mall on the day of the riots. When the crowd began walking toward the Capitol building, he followed them, saying it was out of curiosity as to what was happening.

Once in the building, Edwards took pictures, assisted protesters who had been tear gassed, and walked around the halls of the building, even calling his wife from the rotunda. There is no evidence Edwards caused any significant damage to government property during the national incident.

During his trial, the judge brought up that Edwards was remorseful of his involvement, and that his regular volunteering at for pantries and in his ministry show his character.

Much of the evidence, and what alerted authorities to the scope of Edwards' involvement, came from a now-deleted Facebook post from his wife, who was defending his actions.

She wrote about how he was helping fellow protestors and what he was doing there in the first place. An anonymous Facebook friend got a screenshot and sent it to authorities.

Edwards is now one of 63 Pennsylvanians who have been arrested for their involvement in the Capitol riots earlier this year.