Man gets prison for role in Grand Rapids riot

A man who took part in the 2020 Grand Rapids riot will spend years in federal prison after a judge handed down the lengthy sentence this week.

According to the Kent County Prosecutor’s office, 35-year-old Howard Eugene Nall will spend two-and-a-half to ten years behind bars in prison, and 60 days in the county jail.

The sentence comes after charges of malicious destruction of property, one count of riot and a count of breaking and entering without permission.

Authorities say the night of the riot, security cameras captured Nall breaking into Mojo’s Dueling Piano bar in downtown Grand Rpaids, stealing a case of beer, and destroying a parking meter at the nearby Ellis Parking Lot.

The sentence however, is far more severe than Alexandria Lyons, a young woman who received just three years of probation for her role in the riots.

Authorites say however, the punishment if fair, as Judge Christina Elmore noted that Nall has eight prior felonies and four misdemeanors on his record when she handed down the sentence Tuesday.

Nall is one of 22 people charged in the Grand Rapids riot which caused over $2 million in damages to private and public property.