Jury convicts first rioter, a Kentucky man, to enter Capitol during Jan. 6 attack

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Kentucky man who was labeled as the first person to breach the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection has been found guilty by a federal jury for his actions during the riot, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Michael Sparks, 46, from Elizabethtown, was convicted of multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses in Washington, D.C., Friday. The DOJ said his charges included entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

Evidence presented during the trial determined that Sparks was the first person to enter the U.S. Capitol during the attack, the DOJ said. Sparks climbed through a broken window next to the Senate Wing Door despite others screaming at him to not go in.

While inside the Capitol, Sparks chased a U.S. Capitol Police officer up a flight of stairs with a group of other people, according to the DOJ. The officer eventually found backup and ordered Sparks and the group to leave, but instead he became agitated and shouted, “This is our America! This is our America!,” to the first officer.

Three days before the insurrection, Sparks wrote on the social media site Parler, “We want a civil war to be clear.” The DOJ said that same day he posted to Facebook that, “It’s time to drag them out of Congress. It’s tyranny(.)”

Sparks was arrested roughly two weeks after the riot. Court documents said multiple anonymous sources turned him into the FBI.

Those who provided tips to the FBI were able to identify Sparks in several photos and videos of the riot, according to court documents.

Sparks will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly on July 9, according to the DOJ.

As of Jan. 5, 2024, more than 1,265 people have been charged with crimes connected to the insurrection, according to the DOJ.