Capitol rioter who said he sought Trump's 'approval' convicted on six counts

April 14 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Thursday convicted an Ohio man who said he was "following presidential orders" when he took part in the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Dustin Thompson, 38, was found guilty on six charges including obstruction of an official proceeding and theft of government property after he admitted during the trial he stole a coat rack and a bottle of bourbon from the Senate parliamentarian's office during the riot.

Thompson testified that the became interested in online conspiracy theories after he was laid off from his job at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and sought the "respect" and "approval" of former President Donald Trump during the Jan. 6 riots.

An attorney for Thompson said that Trump took advantage of "vulnerable" individuals and "encouraged people like Dustin Thompson to storm the Capitol."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Dreher argued that Trump was not on trial and Thompson was still responsible for his actions at the Capitol.

"He was 36 years old on Jan. 6 ... an adult, not a child," Dreher said of Thompson. "President Trump didn't hold his hand as he walked down to the Capitol to loot and defile the Senate Parliamentarian's office."

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ordered Thompson detained until his sentencing in July, despite no such request from the prosecution, saying he believed Thompson lied on the stand, and showed he was "weak-minded" and couldn't be trusted.

Walton also said he believes "democracy is in trouble" while admonishing Trump.

"Unfortunately, we have charlatans like our former president, who doesn't in my view really care about democracy, but only about power. And as a result of that, it's tearing this country apart," he said.