Ryan Nichols, 35, a Longview native who was pardoned for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, received 12 months' probation after pleading no contest to a harassment charge. The charge stemmed from social media incidents between March 18 and April 8, the Marshall News Messenger reported.
Under a plea bargain between the state and the defense, a separate deadly conduct case will not move forward unless Nichols violates the terms of his probation. That case involves a May dispute outside the Oak Grove Baptist Church in Harleton. Harrison County Assistant District Attorney Charlotte Reeves, who prosecuted the case, said the deadly conduct charge has not been dismissed. "It's in a neutral area right now," she said.
Reeves said Nichols must complete 96 hours of community service. Harrison County deputies arrested Nichols on May 10 after a caller reported that a person reached for a firearm during the dispute, the sheriff's office said at the time. Deputies wrote in a probable cause affidavit that Nichols pulled up his shirt, displayed a firearm and placed his hand on the grip at one point during the dispute.