There’s a bit of irony with the fact that this dude was from Mike Pence’s state!

Since Donald Trump pardoned last week over 1500 that were part of the Jan. 6 Insurrection, few of within that number have found themselves still in legal entanglements. Daniel Ball, who was convicted for assaulting police officers and throwing an explosive device into the entrance of the U.S. Capitol ended up being held on a federal weapons charge. Andrew Taake, convicted of assaulting police officers with bear spray and a metal whip, was released from prison despite a request from Houston, Texas to hold him on a pending warrant from 2016 for the alleged online solicitation of a minor. He is still a fugitive. Matthew Huttle who pleaded in 2023 guilty for entering the Capitol and was on probation, chose another road after his pardon.

He decided to mirror fellow Insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt’s fate and got himself shot and killed by a cop.

According to news reports, a Sheriff deputy in Jasper County, Indiana pulled Huttle over.  During the stop the deputy attempted to arrest Huddle. At this point there was altercation between the Huttle and the officer which resulted in the officer “firing his weapon killing Huttle”. State Police say that Huttle had a firearm. No other details were released. Authorities didn’t say what might have prompted the traffic stop.

Huttle traveled to Washington, D.C. with his uncle Dale, 73,  from Indiana to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021. After that rally he joined the crowd marching on the Capitol. During the march, to the U.S. Capitol building, he carried a long flagpole with an upside-down American flag attached. “We’re going to see if we can get inside!” Matthew said as they got closer. “We’re going to be stopped here, I don’t think we’re going to get close. We’re going to have to go up the side . . . . Cops, a lot of cops,” to which his uncle Dale Huttle responded, “I think we ought to bum rush the Capitol building! Arrest them all. We’ve got enough people to do that.”

Dale Huttle pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon and causing serious bodily injury stemming from him jabbing police officers with the flagpole. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release before he was pardoned. Matthew Huttle was sentenced to six months in federal prison and 12 months on supervised release, according to federal records.

Huttle had numerous prior charges for DUI, harassment and domestic violence. In 2008 he was charged with domestic battery, resisting arrest. Then in 2009 he was charged with beating his 3 year old child. He also had a case from 2022 of Operate Vehicle After Being Habitual Traffic Offender that was listed as Pending.

Prior to being Trump’s first Vice-President Mike Pence was Governor of Indiana. Pence carried out his duty to certify the 2020 presidential election results, reportedly going against some of his fellow lawmakers and president Trump’s wishes. Pence has repeatedly asserted that the election results were legitimate, often drawing the ire of Trump and his election denying supporters. 

Trump’s mass pardoning of 1,500 Capitol Hill rioters has caused alarm for many in this country. In the wake of Jan 6 antifascists identified many of the rioters as members of various hate groups, right wing militias and random racists. The FBI launched the largest public tip program to gather evidence of the riot. There was evidence that this was a pre-planned assault on the Capitol with the leadership of groups such as Oathkeepers and the Proud Boys being convicted of Seditious Conspiracy. Many groups have questioned the mass pardon, including even the police union that endorsed Trump, in the 2024 election, who has issued a statement condemning the pardoning of the J20 insurrectionists.