National Guardsman admits to assaulting officers on Jan. 6

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Matthew Honigford pleaded guilty to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks. (Photos from court documents)

A former Ohio Army National Guardsman who went AWOL after Joe Biden won the election admitted to assaulting officers during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, court documents said.

Matthew Honigford, 31, pleaded guilty to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. He is set to be sentenced on Aug. 19 by U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, a Barack Obama appointee.

He was among thousands attending Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally that day before entering Capitol grounds, and his actions were caught on camera, officials said.

At 2:30 p.m., while Honigford was positioned at the front of a crowd of rioters that breached a police line of officers on the southwest plaza, he pushed a flagpole into an officer’s chest area, then struggled with the officer for the pole for about 20 seconds before advancing with the crowd to the upper west terrace, authorities said.

Later, he repeatedly touched or tried to touch officers with his hands, saying he was praying for them, authorities claim. When he didn’t stop reaching his hands toward officers, rioters told him to stop.

“I’m trying to f–––––– pray, guys,” he told them, according to court documents.

At another point, Honigford allegedly kicked a metal bike rack barrier toward an officer as rioters broke through a police line.

Honigford is a former specialist with the Ohio Army National Guard who was honorably discharged after he completed his enlistment commitment in March 2022, court documents said.

Authorities said a staff sergeant with the Ohio Army National Guard identified Honigford and said he had been a specialist in the Aviation Battalion that the staff sergeant had overseen beginning in 2019.

That witness told agents that shortly after the presidential election in November 2020, Honigford stopped attending drill weekends, saying his sister was sick and he needed to be available to help her.

The witness also said Honigford told him he did not trust the current state of the country following the election of Joe Biden as president. Honigford was reported Absent Without Leave but permitted to remain in the Ohio Army National Guard until his service ended on March 14, 2022.

Honigford’s public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Law&Crime.

In the 37 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,313 people have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the Capitol breach, including more than 469 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, authorities said.