Former North Charleston police officer sentenced to probation for particpation in Jan. 6 Capitol attack

WASHINGTON (WCBD)- A retired North Charleston police officer was sentenced last Wednesday to probation for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Thomas Edward Blackwood, 70, pleaded guilty in July to one count of disorderly and disruptive conducting in a restricting building and ground and one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

He was sentenced on November 20 to four years of probation and ordered to pay $500 in restitution, according to federal documents.

Prosecutors said Blackwood traveled with a friend to Washington D.C. to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse. They then joined the crowd as they marched toward the Capitol building.

Blackwood and his friend ignored downed barricades, shattered glass, and broken doors and entered the Capitol where they were shortly stopped by police and escorted out, according to prosecutors. The pair then reentered the building before exiting again approximately 30 minutes later.

Blackwood’s attorney, Mark Peper, wrote in a Nov. 18 sentencing memo that his client accepted “full responsibility” for his behavior but that there was no evidence he assaulted law enforcement or destroyed property.

Peper further noted that Blackwood was “unaware of the violence that had transpired ahead of him” which allowed him access to the restricted grounds and left as soon as he discovered what was happening.

But, prosecutors argued that Blackwood “knew better” than to enter the building given his law enforcement background — he retired from the North Charleston Police Department in 2008 after serving 30 years — and his previous work as a lobbyist in Washington.

“As he entered the U.S. Capitol grounds, walked up the Capitol steps, stood on the West Plaza, and then repeatedly entered the building, Blackwood undoubtedly saw violence and aggression towards the police, and yet he did not leave,” a Nov. 7 prosecution sentencing memo stated. “He knew he was not allowed in that building, but he nonetheless chose to enter and remain there. Twice.”

Prosecutors recommended a 30-day jail sentence, 36 months probation, community service and restitution.

The defense asked for a fine, probation, and restitution, citing Blackwood’s recent heart attack, lack of prior criminal history, and acceptance of responsibility.

“…should he have any desire to participate in a similar rally in the future, which he does not, his physical condition would prevent him from even traveling to the area, much less participating,” Peper wrote.

More than 1,500 individuals nationwide have been charged with crimes related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump supporters. The president-elect has vowed to pardon them.