Stewart Parks, the Tennessean who was unjustly convicted and imprisoned for being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was among the individuals who received a full pardon by President Donald Trump on Monday.
Hours after taking the oath of office inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Trump signed an order in the Oval Office granting a full pardon to roughly 1,500 defendants who had been convicted of crimes related to January 6.
Trump also commuted the sentences of fourteen individuals convicted on charges relating to January 6.
“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation,” the order reads.
Parks was sentenced in November 2023 to three years imprisonment on misdemeanor trespassing, disorderly conduct, and theft charges by D.C. Circuit Court Judge Amit P. Mehta, who has presided over several trials related to the January 6 Capitol riot. Parks, however, served his sentence concurrently, reducing his term to eight months behind bars.
After serving more than five months of his eight-month prison term at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis, Parks officially exited federal custody on August 5 upon his release from a Nashville halfway house.
Parks (pictured above) confirmed he was among those who received a full pardon as a result of Trump’s executive order on Monday, writing in a social media post, “I received a phone call officially notifying me I have received a pardon by President Trump.”
Monday’s order signed by Trump reads:
The Attorney General shall administer and effectuate the immediate issuance of certificates of pardon to all individuals…and shall ensure that all individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, who are currently held in prison are released immediately. The Bureau of Prisons shall immediately implement all instructions from the Department of Justice regarding this directive.
I further direct the Attorney General to pursue dismissal with prejudice to the government of all pending indictments against individuals for their conduct related to the events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. The Bureau of Prisons shall immediately implement all instructions from the Department of Justice regarding this directive.
Referring to the individuals that remain imprisoned for crimes related to January 6 as “hostages,” Trump told reporters inside the Oval Office, “We hope they come out tonight, frankly.”
Trump’s order is also expected to apply to Ronald Colton McAbee, another Tennessean who remains imprisoned for being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Stewart Parks” by Stewart Parks.
