Willard Jake Peart, circled in red, was sentenced Monday to probation in connection with the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Attorney’s Office)
Willard Jake Peart — the fourth Utahn charged in connection with the U.S. Capitol riot that took place on Jan. 6, 2021 — was sentenced Monday to three years of probation and 240 hours of community service. He is also required to comply with 60 days of home detention with electronic monitoring. He will also pay a total of $1,000 in restitution and fines.
Peart, a resident of Toquerville, Washington County, pleaded guilty in January to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing at the Capitol.
During Monday’s hearing, federal prosecutors sought to jail Peart for up to 30 days. Brittany Reed, a federal prosecutor, told the court that Peart has been “very cooperative” throughout the investigation, noting he turned himself in to federal investigators within two weeks of the riot. She also emphasized that Peart did not physically assault police inside the building, nor did he damage property while there.
She also pointed Monday to a statement Peart made to FBI agents regarding Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, which was included in prosecutors’ sentencing memorandum filed last month that pushed for Peart to receive a jail term.
“I don’t know what would have happened if I had seen Mitt Romney,” Peart said to FBI agents, according to the memorandum. “It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t see him, because I would have been, who knows, I was definitely, um, ya know, there. I’ve never had that much adrenaline run through my body ever, um, so I don’t know …”
The same memorandum noted that Peart expressed regret about Jan. 6, as he turned himself into FBI agents around two weeks after the attack on the Capitol.
Peart’s attorney, John Tatum, said Monday that he was contacted by Peart about a week after the riot, as Peart told him he wanted to take accountability. Not only has Peart told the court and federal investigators that he regrets his actions, Tatum said, Peart has also expressed regret privately to friends and colleagues. Tatum said character letters submitted to the court came from those who know Peart best, and mention how he has expressed his remorse to others.
Tatum asked the court to avoid giving Peart a jail term, arguing that Peart can do more good for the community though hours of public service rather than hours or days spent behind bars.
When given the chance to address the judge, Peart said Monday that he’s still not sure why he didn’t realize the severity of the Capitol riot, saying there were clear signs that he shouldn’t have been there.
Peart said he voted for then-President Donald Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, and he was “concerned about election integrity.” By walking to the U.S. Capitol, Peart said he believed he was carrying an order from the president.
Court records indicate that Peart can be seen on security cameras entering and moving throughout the building on Jan. 6, 2021. The government memorandum said that Peart was told to leave the building three times before a police officer escorted him to an exit.
Peart said his actions caused significant issues to the country and individuals. He said that if he could go back, he wouldn’t have been involved.
Peart — who also told the court he’s currently running for a spot on the Washington County School District’s Board of Education — said he wanted to take accountability for his actions, and he would respect whatever sentence he was given.
U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ultimately ruled that Peart would avoid jail time, but noted Peart’s actions were a part of a very serious event in history.
Friedman also noted a “truly remarkable” letter submitted on Peart’s behalf by a former client of Tatum’s, Andrea Milholm. Milholm spent five years in prison after an auto-pedestrian crash in Denver killed one of Peart’s younger sisters and left another sister with serious injuries. Milholm — who was drunk at the time of the crash — was embraced by Peart and the Peart family, as they chose to forgive her, according to a filing submitted by Tatum in regards to sentencing.
In addition to the jail time, Friedman also ordered that Peart must avoid going to Washington, D.C. for the duration of his probation term, unless the trip would be approved by his probation provider. As of Monday, Peart was not in jail custody.
Peart was the second Utahn to plead guilty to charges connected to the riot. He’s the third Utahn to be sentenced, and all three have avoided jail time.
