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‘Pink Hat Lady’ trial scheduled for May

Above is Rachel Powell wearing a mesh mask.

Jury selection and a trial are scheduled to begin May 8 in federal court in Washington, D.C., for a Mercer County woman related to her alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the nation’s capital.

At a recent conference, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth scheduled jury selection and the trial for Rachel Marie Powell of Sandy Lake to begin at 10 a.m. May 8, and set a March 15 deadline for pretrial motions.

The U.S. Attorney’s office filed eight charges against Powell, claiming she used a bullhorn to encourage rioters, entered the Capitol Building and used a pipe to attempt to break a window.

The complaint filed by the FBI against Powell includes photos that the government says shows Powell outside and inside the building wearing a pink hat. Media dubbed her “Pink Hat Lady” because of the photos.

Powell is free on her own recognizance.

In November last year, Lamberth scheduled the trial to begin Feb. 21. However, at a Feb. 10 status conference, a federal prosecutor and Powell’s defense attorney updated Lamberth about the case and requested a jury trial. Lamberth scheduled the trial and set the deadline for pretrial motions.

The riot disrupted a joint session of Congress that was convened to certify the vote of the Electoral College for the 2020 presidential election.

The riot resulted in the assault of more than 80 members of the Capitol Police and nearly 60 members of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department.

A Capitol Police officer shot and killed a female rioter as she tried to enter the House chamber through a broken window. Two people in the crowd on the capital grounds died from natural causes, and another died from an accidental overdose.

One Capitol Police officer died from natural causes the day after the riot, and several other officers died by suicide in the weeks after the riot.

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