Owensboro native Peter Schwartz — who in 2023 received a 14-year sentence for events that occurred on January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol — is among the more than 1,500 individuals who were either pardoned or had their sentence commuted by a sweeping order Monday night from President Donald Trump.
In addition to listing commutations to a handful of specific individuals, Trump’s order granted “a full, complete, and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.” See the full Presidential Action here.
Timeline of events
According to numerous reports and court filings, Schwartz was working as a welder in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, prior to his arrest, though his attorneys said he considered his home to be in Owensboro.
January 6, 2021: Events at the Capitol
Reports show that Schwartz was armed with a wooden tire knocker when he joined the crowd at the Capitol, and prosecutors said he threw a folding chair at the line of officers protecting the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace. Prosecutors wrote in a court filing: “By throwing that chair, Schwartz directly contributed to the fall of the police line that enabled rioters to flood forward and take over the entire terrace.” Court reports indicate Schwartz “then found an abandoned police-issued pepper spray and used it against the retreating officers.”
January 7, 2021: Social media post
According to an FBI affidavit, agents discovered a Facebook post from Schwartz on January 7 that read: “All the violence from the left was terrorism. What happened yesterday was the opening of a war. I was there and whether people will acknowledge it or not we are now at war. It would be wise to be ready!”
February 2021: Arrest
Schwartz was arrested in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, after being identified in videos and photographs from the riot. He faced multiple federal charges, including assaulting officers and violent entry onto Capitol grounds. Owensboro police confirmed Schwartz’s identity from FBI photos.
December 2022: Conviction
A jury found Schwart guilty of three assault charges and other felony offenses, according to the Associated Press.
May 2023: Sentencing
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Schwartz to 14 years and 2 months in prison, plus 3 years of supervised release. The prosecution stated: “By throwing that chair, Schwartz directly contributed to the fall of the police line that enabled rioters to flood forward.” At the time, his was the longest sentence among January 6 cases.
January 20, 2025: Pardon
According to The Associated Press, Trump “pardoned, commuted the prison sentences, or vowed to dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes” events occurring at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Schwartz, who was serving his sentence, was among those fully pardoned and released from custody.
Additional pardons
According to court documents, national reports, and a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Schwartz’s then-wife Shelly Stallings, of Morganfield, was arrested on February 16, 2022, in Owensboro. She pleaded guilty to a total of seven charges in August 2022. Records show she was sentenced to 2 years and prison and 3 years supervised probation. Stallings is among those covered by Trump’s order.
Also among those pardoned was Jordan Revlett, of Island, Kentucky. He previously pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. He was sentenced in 2022 to 14 days in jail and 1 year of supervised release.
