By Jan Wolfe

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – On Monday, a Washington State man pleaded guilty for assaulting a cop during the attack on the U.S. Capitol. This sentence was one of the most severe ever handed to a Jan. 6 defendant.

Devlyn Thomson was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia for striking an officer using a baton.

Thompson was detained in August after pleading guilty. He will get credit for any time served behind bars.

Prosecutors had requested four years for Thompson, saying in a court filing that “a 48-month sentence would reflect the gravity of Thompson’s actions after having joined a violent mob at the U.S. Capitol, while also acknowledging his exceptionally early cooperation and admission of guilt.”

Thompson’s lawyer demanded a one year sentence. In a court filing, he stated that Thompson is autistic and has a limited understanding about what happened on Jan. 6.

The court filing said that “Autism should not be a reason for poor behavior. It should only be taken into consideration when an individual’s culpability or degree of social understanding are in question.”

Robert Palmer of Florida was sentenced to five years for throwing a fire extinguisher at officers in Capitol Riots. This is the longest prison term ever given to any of the over 700 individuals charged with the attack.

Palmer was sentenced as the second victim to plead guilty. Scott Fairlamb (a former New Jersey gym proprietor) was sentenced last month to 41 months.

Jacob Chansley, also known as the “QAnon Shaman,” was sentenced last month and sent to 41-months in prison.