Georgia couple sentenced to jail after taking selfies in Capitol on Jan. 6

The young couple both received jail time and a fine

Published: May 10, 2022 10:16pm

Updated: May 10, 2022 11:36pm

A Georgia couple has been sentenced to jail after they pleaded guilty to one charge related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

A judge on Monday sentenced 21-year-old Nolan Harold Kidd to 45 days in jail and ordered him to pay $500 in restitution, the Department of Justice stated.

The following day, 21-year-old Savannah McDonald received a jail sentence of 21 days with $500 in restitution, the DOJ observed.

The Department of Justice asserted that the couple traveled to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021. Photographs show them taking selfies in the Capitol on Jan. 6.

McDonald told a reporter that she and Kidd were among the first 100 people to enter the Capitol.

"Me and Savannah are [F---ING] STORMTROOPERS," Kidd sent in a Snapchat group chat the evening after the riot, the DOJ criminal complaint states.

The next day McDonald told the group, "My chest hurts ... [b]ut we did the right thing."

While Kidd and McDonald faced four charges related to the Jan. 6 riot, they ultimately both pleaded guilty in January to one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

They were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee.

While Judge Cooper stressed the seriousness of their crimes, he offered words of encouragement to the couple.

"You are a young man," Cooper told Kidd, Law & Crime reported. "Obviously this was a huge mistake, but it's one that I'm confident you can overcome."

While Kidd originally requested probation, Cooper said it would not be "appropriate" for him.

"You'e not the type of person who [needs] supervision," the judge said. "You've sought out [health treatments] on your own. You don't need probation's help to seek out services if you need them."

Cooper also said McDonald was not a "good candidate for probation" because of her otherwise law-abiding life.

"You're obviously young," Cooper said, per Law & Crime. "We're all entitled to make mistakes. This one's a doozy, but I'm confident this is one you can overcome."