Disgraced former West Virginia Republican politician Derrick Evans—who shouted his own name on his livestream video as he joined a mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters in attacking the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021—was sentenced to prison.
Evans—who served as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates for the 19th district for just one year before he was criminally charged—gained notoriety after he posted video to social media of him declaring, “We’re in! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!” as the crowd, spurred by Trump's lies about the integrity of the 2020 presidential election, breached the doors of the Capitol Building.
Evans ultimately took a plea deal that netted him three months in prison for his participation in the attack. His video featured heavily in the case prosecutors made against him, ensuring he would face consequences despite his own efforts to delete the video from the net.
You can see the original video and further news coverage about Evans' arrest and prosecution below.
In his remarks to United States District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, Evans, who took office just weeks before the attack, accepted responsibility for his actions and said that he'd shamed his family, adding that his upcoming prison sentence would leave his four children "fatherless for months."
Judge Lambeth noted that Evans has an "impressive support system" but was clear that he could not "just give you probation in a case like this," stressing that incarceration is necessary.
Others concurred and criticized Evans' actions.
\u201cSometimes justice is SO poetic.\u201d— againstkimreynoldsandchuckgrassleyia (@againstkimreynoldsandchuckgrassleyia) 1655938795
\u201cit both sucks and is very funny that the bad guys are extraordinarily stupid\u201d— internetryan (@internetryan) 1655937352
\u201c'Derrick Evans is in the Jail!' \ud83d\udd95\ud83e\udd2e\ud83e\udd2c\ud83d\udc4d\ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\udca9\ud83d\udc99\u201d— OldeDetroiter (@OldeDetroiter) 1655947111
\u201cCheck out this brain surgeon.\u201d— Wonder Woman (@Wonder Woman) 1655987505
\u201cBOOM baby - get 'em - get the traitors\u201d— Brandy Davis (@Brandy Davis) 1655948910
\u201cProbably shouldn\u2019t have gotten conned by a con man\u201d— jarrod farrar (@jarrod farrar) 1655948932
\u201c"Derrick Evans is in the Capitol"'s own Derrick Evans: sentenced to 3 months for the #January6th Capitol attack that figured into what plainly seems to be Donald Trump's failed coup.\n\nEvans should have gotten more time, including a stupidity tax for live streaming his crime.\u201d— Cynthia McLennan \ud83d\uddfd\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\ude37\ud83e\ude9f (@Cynthia McLennan \ud83d\uddfd\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\ude37\ud83e\ude9f) 1655928218
\u201cAs part of his sentence I think he should be required to watch the Jan. 6 hearings. Maybe he\u2019ll be surprised to learn that people in the White House knew there was no voting fraud.\u201d— Lynn Price Reinke (@Lynn Price Reinke) 1655937519
\u201cNew battle cry \u201cDerrick Evans is in prison!\u201d\u201d— SwiftTrout (@SwiftTrout) 1655937681
Evans was forced by West Virginia Republican leadership to resign just days after the attack. He was harshly criticized by Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw, who at the time said that Evans "will need to answer to his constituents and colleagues regarding his involvement in what has occurred today."
As Evans' video went viral, more than 51,000 people signed a petition calling for his removal from office. He ultimately pleaded guilty to a charge of civil disorder in relation to the attack.
