Tag: Riots

Former W.Va. Councilman Enters Plea In Capitol Riot Case

A former councilman for the city of Parkersburg, West Virginia, who is charged with breaching the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts.

Eric Barber, 43, admitted to entering the Capitol and stealing a portable charger from a C-SPAN media station during a remote hearing Thursday, the Parkersburg News and Sentinel reported.

“When I entered the Capitol building, I knew we weren’t supposed to be there,” he said after the judge asked if the charges were accurate.

The criminal complaint alleged photos and security video showed Barber inside the Capitol wearing a green combat-style helmet and a green military-style field jacket. It said video recorded Barber saying, “They’re giving us the building,” and that he took selfie images in the Capitol Rotunda. It also claims he stole a portable power station from a C-SPAN media stand.

Barber was elected to the Parkersburg City Council in 2016 as a Democrat. He changed his registration to independent a year later, then changed it again to Republican before losing his re-election bid last November.

As part of the plea agreement, other misdemeanor counts will be dismissed. Barber’s sentencing was set for March 31.

College Student Sentenced To One Month For Capitol Riot Role

A college student who posted online that “Infamy is just as good as fame” after she climbed through a broken window at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 has been sentenced to a month behind bars for her actions.

Gracyn Courtright, 23, of Hurricane, West Virginia, sobbed as she told U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper that “if I could take back anything in my life it would be my actions on Jan. 6.”

She was among the throng of pro-Trump rioters who descended on the Capitol to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s victory last year. She posted photos of herself online — like scores of other rioters — reveling in the moment. “Can’t wait to tell my grandkids I was here!” she wrote, and inside the Senate chamber, she was photographed holding a “Members only” sign.

“I will never be the same girl again,” the University of Kentucky student said through tears. “This has changed me completely.”

After the riot, she dug in on social media when she was criticized for her actions, before eventually deleting her accounts. Courtright is among the youngest of those publicly charged in the Capitol riot so far, out of more than 700 criminal cases.

Courtright asked the judge that she be allowed to finish her final semester of college, but said that the internet images of her that day, even though her accounts are deleted, will haunt her forever. People won’t see the hardworking student who was on the dean’s list, she said.

“They will only see the girl who trespassed and took pictures to prove they were there. And posted pictures thinking she was just so cool,” Courtright said.

Courtright’s sentencing was delayed briefly because a nurse had to determine she was OK to proceed, and she gave her statement sitting down.

Her attorney on Friday argued she had no idea what she was doing and that she wasn’t a political activist — she didn’t even vote in the election she was there to protest. The judge seized on that during his remarks.

“That is your choice obviously, but in my view — if any citizen wants to participate in our democracy, casting a vote is the price of admission,” he said. “Because when you do that, you have to study the issues and the candidates, learn what their policies are, figure out how those policies are affecting your community.”

Participating in a democracy isn’t like going to a University of Kentucky game and “rooting for a team just because of the color of their jerseys,” the judge said. “It’s certainly not resorting to violence when your team doesn’t win the game,” he told Courtright.

Cooper also noted that Courtright made it to the floor of the U.S. Senate at about the exact time that Ashli Babbitt, on the House, side was shot dead.

“Do you know how many people died on Jan. 6, 5. Including Ms. Babbit?” he asked. “Five.”

“Do you know how many Capitol police officers committed suicide after Jan. 6, harmed from the trauma of that day? Four,“ the judge added. “So was it cool to have been there?”

“No,” she answered emphatically.

Still, the judge said the recommended six months in prison was too high and sentenced her instead to 30 days, one year of supervised release, and 60 hours of community service.

He said he hoped she could pull her life together and that she “should not be judged by the worst mistake you have made in your life.”

W.Va. School Employee Suspension For Trump Event Prompts Lawsuit

Updated on Jan. 12, 2021 at 5 p.m.

A federal lawsuit said two Jefferson County, West Virginia school bus drivers were suspended in retaliation for attending demonstrations in the nation’s capital. Jefferson County Schools said the employees were placed on paid leave while under investigation for possible illegal activity connected to that event.

Attorney John Bryan filed the lawsuit against Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Bondy Shay Gibson on behalf of bus drivers Tina Renner and Pamela McDonald.

The lawsuit said Renner and McDonald’s actions were protected under the First Amendment when they traveled to Washington, D.C. to support President Donald Trump.

Renner and McDonald rode on a charter bus Jan. 6. After hearing Trump speak at a rally, they walked to the U.S. Capitol, remained in an area designated for public occupation and did not participate in illegal activities, the lawsuit said.

After returning to Jefferson County, Renner and McDonald each received a phone call from the school district’s director of transportation informing them that they would be placed on paid administrative leave. Both also received letters from Superintendent Gibson.

The lawsuit said attending the rally was unrelated to the bus drivers’ employment and that they had enough leave days available to attend the rally.

Gibson said in a statement to West Virginia Public Broadcasting that she “respects the system of due process for all citizens” and “trusts the integrity of the judiciary to uphold that process.” In a prior statement, Gibson said the individuals were being investigated for alleged “threatening and inflammatory” Facebook posts and for violating the county’s leave policy.

Jefferson County Schools reports Renner and McDonald are the only employees under investigation, debunking previous rumors that about 30 other employees were also being investigated.

Last week’s insurrection in Washington, D.C. resulted in the death of a Capitol police officer who sustained injuries as a mob violently ransacked the U.S. Capitol. Police also fatally shot a woman during the riot. Three others died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.

Jefferson Superintendent Draws First Amendment Criticism After District Investigates Employees Who Attended Violent U.S. Capitol Rally

Updated on Jan. 12, 2021 at 5:30 p.m.

At least two Jefferson County School employees are under investigation by the school district following last week’s protest of Congress certifying state election results. The two employees in question are school bus drivers Tina Renner and Pamela McDonald. The women are being investigated for possible illegal activity in connection to Wednesday’s violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and for “threatening” Facebook posts.

Jefferson County Schools issued a news release over the weekend announcing the investigation.

“Jefferson County Schools fully supports the rights of employees and students to exercise their First Amendment freedoms, including the right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government, but Wednesday’s protests involved violence and other unlawful conduct,” the statement read. “The District is investigating the matter to determine if any employee engaged in any illegal activity.”

Since the district sent the letters, however, there has been an uproar on social media platforms.

Many Twitter and Facebook users have posted strong support for the decision or have shared outrage, citing the move goes against the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

The Jefferson County Republican Executive Committee’s Facebook group issued a statement on Jan. 9 calling for Jefferson County School Superintendent Bondy Shay Gibson herself to be placed under investigation for her actions, saying her letter to employees was “a frightening attack on our liberties.”

“On behalf of all Jefferson County Republicans, the JCREC is requesting that the Board of Education immediately cease the violation of the Constitutional rights of the BOE’s employees, students, and the citizens of Jefferson County,” the group wrote in a Facebook post. “We are further requesting that Dr. Gibson be suspended pending an investigation of her actions.”

Following the uproar online, Gibson issued a statement Monday saying the individuals in question are under investigation, because she received reports that the employees allegedly published “threatening and inflammatory posts on their Facebook pages” and “had been present at the Electoral protest march on Wednesday that erupted in violence, and had violated our leave policy.”

“I understand that in this hyper-political environment, the letters came across to some as a potential threat of punishment for political beliefs. That was neither true nor the intention,” Gibson wrote. “I want to be clear that EVERY[sic] employee has EVERY[sic] right to the politics and beliefs of their choice, so long as their behavior does not cause harm or is illegal. I am seeking to determine whether these employees violated any policy or laws.”

Gibson went on to say no disciplinary action has been taken at this time, and the individuals were put on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting requested a copy of the letter sent to Jefferson County employees, but the school district did not respond.

 

The initial news release said the investigation “involves a personnel matter, the District cannot provide any additional information at this time.”

Screenshots of one of the letters, however, have been circulating on social media.

Multiple news outlets such as the Martinsburg Journal and WV MetroNews reported that the employees were to schedule meetings with Gibson for Tuesday, Jan. 12 and that disciplinary action, including termination, may follow.

Another outlet, 930 WFMD Free Talk based in Frederick, Maryland reported that “about 30 teachers” are under investigation, rather than just two.

Jefferson County Schools told West Virginia Public Broadcasting that Renner and McDonald are the only employees under investigation, debunking claims that more employees were being investigated.

As a result of the suspension and investigation, a federal lawsuit has been filed against Superintendent Gibson on behalf of Renner and McDonald. The lawsuit said the actions of the two women were protected under the First Amendment and maintains they did not participate in illegal activity.

Across the country, law enforcement and the FBI have been asking for help in identifying any individuals who were present at the rally last week and who may have participated in unlawful conduct.

Newly elected House of Delegates member Derrick Evans, a Republican from Wayne County, resigned over the weekend — before serving in the Legislature — following his involvement in Wednesday’s insurrection.

He also faces federal charges for his role in those events.

At least five people died as a result of Wednesday’s violence, including one Capitol Police officer who sustained injuries during the attack on the Capitol.

West Virginia University Expels Three Students for Riots

  Three West Virginia University students were expelled from campus Thursday for various acts of misconduct following Saturday’s WVU-Baylor football game.
 
Other students may also face University sanctions as various law enforcement agencies complete their investigations and reports and provide that information to the University. These cases are independent of any state or local criminal penalties and fines the students may face.

 
“We have made it clear that this University will hold students accountable for their unlawful behavior,” President Gordon Gee said. “We will not allow individuals to remain enrolled who commit these crimes and damage the reputation and achievements of our faculty, staff, students, alumni and community.”
 
The expelled students, who were among 14 charged earlier this week by various local law enforcement agencies, were immediately prohibited from accessing University property and activities pending further proceedings under the Student Conduct Code.

 
Nearly six hours after the Mountaineers upset the then-fourth-ranked Baylor Bears, disturbances began in Sunnyside, a neighborhood heavily populated by students, and then spilled into downtown Morgantown.
 
Anyone with further information that could help identify suspects should contact Lt. Laurie Burks at the University Police Department at or call 304.293.COPS (304.293.2677).

 

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