Greer man sentenced to 36 months probation in Jan. 6 Capitol riot case
A South Carolina man who was among the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced in federal court this week.
James Douglas Lollis, 47, of Greer, was sentenced on Feb. 17 to 36 months of probation with a condition of home detention and ordered to pay $500 in restitution, according to federal court documents.
A federal judge sentenced Lollis on Thursday.
Federal prosecutors on Feb. 2 had recommended that Lollis be sentenced to three months of home detention, 36 months of probation, 100 hours of community service and $500 in restitution.
Lollis pleaded guilty to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol building, according to court records.
According to court records, Lollis entered the U.S. Capitol with a large group of rioters through the Senate Wing Door, where two adjacent windows had been broken and people were climbing inside.
On Jan. 5, Lollis traveled from South Carolina to Washington, D.C., with Derek Gunby, who was also charged in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Lollis and Gunby stayed in a hotel in Virginia, court records state.
Previously reported: Greer man becomes 3rd from SC to plead guilty in Jan. 6 Capitol riot case
Read more: Greer man becomes latest South Carolinian charged in Capitol riot
Lollis had a pistol on him but kept the firearm inside of the hotel room to attend rallies for then-president Donald Trump, investigators said in court documents.
Lollis approached a police officer positioned outside the Capitol Building and proceeded to ask him, “Y’all on the same team we are, aren’t you?”. When the officer did not respond, Lollis harassed the officer, saying, “You’re not going to respond? You’re not on the same team?” The conversation was captured on video recorded by the officer’s body camera.
Lollis walked through the lobby inside the Senate Wing Door, walked halfway down the hall, turned around and exited out through the same door, according to court records.
Just minutes after exiting, Lollis approached officers at the Lower West Terrace and said, “We got a man down here dying. His lips are purple. You need to get him now!” As he moved closer, he was sprayed in the face with crowd control spray and retreated back into the crowd, according to court records.
People then brought up the individual who needed medical attention, according to body camera videos submitted as evidence.
Shortly after, Lollis and Gunby left together where they recorded a video together.
“So, I went with James here, James Lollis, and we met up with some people from Texas, . . . So, yeah we went, we were in front of the White House earlier this morning, and then going into the afternoon, everyone headed down to the National Mall towards the Capitol," Gunby said in the video. "And we all pretty much surrounded the Capitol. We are at a point now in this country where they’re going to listen to us. They have to listen to us. Your congressional leaders are not afraid of you.
Related: Second Anderson man charged in connection to Jan. 6 Capitol riot, court documents show
During Lollis’ interview with agents from the FBI on Aug. 10, 2021, Lollis admitted to entering the Capitol.
Lollis has no prior criminal history and is a father of two children and is described as an “active and loving father who provides both sole financial and primary emotional support for his children,” according to letters submitted to the court on behalf of Lollis prior to his sentencing.
A.J. Kramer, Lollis' public defender, said in court documents that Lollis acknowledged his actions were a "terrible lapse in judgment" and that if given the chance to do it again, he would not.
Tamia Boyd is a Michigan native who covers breaking news in Greenville. Email her at tboyd@gannett.com, and follow her on Twitter @tamiamb.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: SC man sentenced in connection to Jan. 6 Capitol riot case
