(KUTV) – A Utah man who admitted to helping burn a Salt Lake City Police cruiser during a riot on May 30, 2020 will serve 13 months in federal prison, a judge ruled this week.

Judge David Barlow told 29-year-old Latroi Newbins that his actions ‘added fuel to flames’ which escalated a protest over the death of George Floyd.

“This case has those events of the protest very much involved - but that is not why Mr. Newbins has been prosecuted. Nobody has been prosecuted for showing up and exercising their First Amendment rights ... video depicts [Newbins] kicking and jumping up and down, and taking selfies in front of the patrol car – all of that strengthens the implication that he approved of and wanted to be part of the destruction and burning of that patrol car,” Judge Barlow said.

Newbins admitted that he put paper into the burning patrol car at the intersection of 400 South 200 East during the protest. In a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, charges of arson against Newbins were dismissed in exchange for a guilty plea to a charge of civil disorder.

Newbins’ attorney, Darwin Overson, told the court that Newbins’ intent on the day of the Salt Lake City protest was to add his voice to the national outrage at George Floyd’s death.

“This was not a good situation, this was not a lawful situation, but initially the intent was to show respect for the law by having their voice heard. What [Newbins] felt that morning was that God had called on him to do this. He had to be involved, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make change,” Overson said.

Overson and federal prosecutors agreed Newbins had initially extinguished a small fire inside the patrol car, but later committed a crime by adding paper to a second fire that had ignited inside the car.

Newbins only spoke briefly during Thursday’s hearing.

“I take full responsibility for what I’ve done, I’m a man of my word. I’m ready to be sentenced,” Newbins said.

In addition to his 13-month prison sentence, Newbins was ordered to pay the Salt Lake City Police Department $2,500. He will also be placed under 36 months of supervised release.

Newbins is one of five defendants who have pleaded guilty to burning the Salt Lake City Police cruiser.

Lateesha Richards was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison. Jackson Patton was recently sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for his role in the burned police car. Larry Raynold Williams Jr. and Christopher Isidro Rojas are currently awaiting sentencing after they also pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from the police car incident.