WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — An Adel man who entered the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection will spend 15 days in confinement and be on probation for three years.
Chad Heathcote, who pleaded guilty to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing at a capitol building back in November 2022, was sentenced Monday afternoon.
Heathcote's council asked the court for 12 months of probation, though he faced a maximum sentence of six months in prison.
An anonymous person wrote the FBI a letter in late January 2021 stating they spoke to someone who talked to Heathcote's wife and was told Heathcote traveled to D.C. with another person, according to charging documents.
Surveillance footage and videos later obtained by the FBI showed Heathcote entering the U.S. Capitol. His phone's GPS records also placed him at the Capitol during the insurrection.
In February 2022, someone sent the FBI a tip "stating that 'Chad' bragged on Facebook about being in Washington, D.C. to stop the steal. However, he took down his Twitter and Facebook account the day after the riot."
He was originally arrested and charged with the following in May 2022:
- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building
- Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building
- Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building
- Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
Heathcote's jail time will be served on weekends "within the first six months of probation," a federal judge ruled.