Troy man sentenced for role in May 2020 Albany riot

A Troy man facing up to 25 years in prison was sentenced Thursday morning in Albany County Court for his role in a riot from May 2020.

Dwight Parker, 40, was sentenced to 24 years in prison with five years of post-release supervision.

His lawyer reminded the judge early in the proceeding that he’s never been arrested before this situation and that he’s an active father.

Parker was convicted last April of multiple charges, including arson, riot, attempted assault and attempted aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon, a crime of terrorism.

Albany police say Parker set fire to a tractor-trailer on South Pearl Street, and threw a Molotov cocktail at Albany police officers who were on horseback during a riot in May 2020. That riot was one of many in the country following the murder of George Floyd.

A handful of Albany police officers were in court for the sentencing. One of them gave a victim impact statement to Parker, reflecting on that protest two years ago.

Before giving her sentence, Judge Ackerman said there were a few things she learned after Parker’s trial that motivated her decision.

Ackerman says she watched videos of Parker throwing multiple Molotov cocktails very close to horses, who were carrying police officers.

She also says in his pre-sentence report, Parker claimed he was at the protest so that his voice could be heard, but the judge says she saw and heard video of Parker saying he was not there to talk.

The judge also added Parker didn’t seem to show any remorse.

While in court Thursday morning, Parker was given an opportunity to speak before he learned his fate. He apologized to officers.

Following the sentencing, his wife and children were asked to leave after a very emotional disturbance outside.

His wife and teenage daughter were also arrested a couple of months after the protest, facing felony charges. Their charges were dropped.