Virginia school board member sentenced to 12 days in jail for Jan. 6 riots

Miles Adkins, 39, a former U.S. Marine, admitted to storming the Capitol, drinking beer and whiskey inside, yelling and dancing there, and climbing over broken furniture to help a rioter enter through a broken window.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl F. Walsh requested 45 days of incarceration, saying Adkins had failed to show remorse and claimed he was a victim despite ignoring signs of violence around him. The prosecutor cited the need for “specific deterrence,” citing Adkins’ pattern of behavior, including convictions for reckless driving after refusing to take a breathalyzer test, a hit-and-run, driving on a suspended license and probation revocations.

Defense attorney Jay P. Mykytiuk stressed that his client is nonviolent, and Adkins said he was the victim of a “two-tiered justice system” in which some other Jan. 6 defendants received only fines.

“Mr. Adkins’ offenses, while certainly criminal, were peaceful in nature,” Mykytiuk said, and he “had no more sinister agenda than to participate in a peaceful protest and make his voice heard by his elected officials.”

Adkins served four years in the Navy and was injured in Iraq after a heavy aircraft part fell on his back. His addiction to alcohol and prescription painkillers cost him his job and his marriage, but he worked with veterans groups, earned a college degree and was elected to the Frederick County School Board in 2021, court records show. He has been a controversial figure, criticized for such antics as sharing distorted images of other school board members with devil horns and Hitler mustaches on social media, but he has said he will not resign over his latest conviction.

Before his election, he was convicted in Florida of leaving the scene of a property-damaging accident. After joining the school board in 2022, he was charged with public intoxication in Prince William County, Virginia, and paid a $25 fine. Last year, he was charged with driving while intoxicated in Loudoun County; he told the Winchester Star that he was texting, not drunk, and the charge was amended to reckless driving.

In a statement posted online Tuesday, the Frederick County School Board said: “We are aware of the court’s decision to sentence Mr. Adkins. However, our focus will remain where it belongs: the children of our county. We will continue to make decisions that serve the best interests of our students while ensuring that the educational environment in our schools is not disrupted by these events.”