A Capitol rioter who recorded a video of herself saying she was looking for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “to shoot her in the friggin’ brain” pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in federal court on Tuesday.
Dawn Bancroft initially pleaded not guilty to illegally demonstrating inside the Capitol but changed her plea to guilty, court documents show. During Tuesday’s hearing, she told the judge she would “like to accept my responsibility,” according to NBC Washington reporter Scott MacFarlane.
The judge accepted the guilty plea, said Bancroft’s comments about Pelosi were “very troubling” and asked prosecutors why she was not charged with threatening a government official, which is a felony. Prosecutors said the Justice Department declined to do so because she made the comments as she was leaving the building.
Bancroft’s guilty plea came nearly eight months after she was arrested on Jan. 29 in Pennsylvania along with Diana Santos-Smith. Authorities were alerted to a video filmed by Bancroft during the Jan. 6 riot, according to a criminal complaint.
Authorities said she was wearing a red “Make America Great Again” ski-cap style hat and Santos-Smith was in a “Make America Great Again” baseball hat when they entered the Capitol along with other protesters.
Bancroft, who was filming, said in the video: “We broke into the Capitol … we got inside, we did our part. We were looking for Nancy to shoot her in the friggin’ brain but we didn’t find her.” According to the criminal complaint, she made the comments as she and Santos-Smith were attempting to leave the building.
Both women had faced multiple charges including entering a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct, and demonstrating in a Capitol building.
An attorney for Bancroft declined to comment on the case.
Bancroft is scheduled to be sentenced next year, court documents show. She remains free on personal recognizance.
Santos-Smith also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. She also remains free on personal recognizance.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
