Capitol rioter threatened with return to jail after violating judge's order: report
According to the Huffington Post, an accused Capitol rioter and mother of eight from Pennsylvania who allegedly smashed out a window during the pro-Trump insurrection is facing threats of contempt of court after defying a judge's order to mask up in public.
Rachel Powell, an anti-mask activist, had been ordered to wear a mask in public as part of the conditions of her pretrial release. But in a video she posted of herself in public, she wore a "mask" that was really just a hole-riddled mesh, completely incapable of protecting against the transmission of COVID-19.
"Defendant's decision to appear in a video wearing a mask with holes in it at work mocks compliance with the Court's Order setting as a condition of pre-trial release that she 'wear a mask whenever she leaves her residence,'" wrote U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth on Friday. "No reasonable person could think that defendant's 'mask' complied with that condition, which Chief Judge Beryl Howell imposed to ensure that defendant 'would not pose a risk to the health and safety of the community when she left her house.'"
Lamberth gave Powell ten days to explain, in writing, "why the Court should not revoke her pre-trial release, order her detained pending trial, or hold her in contempt."
A number of accused Capitol rioters also happen to be opposed to public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A recent video showed a Fresno, California man seen at the riots furiously shouting at a city councilperson for supporting mask mandates, which has put his parole in jeopardy.