Capitol rioter faces more toppings on the federal sandwich. |
The 22-year old woman who participated in the U.S. Capitol riots is facing more toppings on the possible federal sandwich. She will not only face the role in the insurrection but now the state violations will almost certainly assure a lengthy time out.
Unrepentant and just constantly a threat, this woman appears to have not learned anything from the insurrection.
Ethan Corlija, one of the suspect’s lawyers, said he was with her on Wednesday night at the hospital. She needed surgery to close a head wound, he said, but was expected to be released from the hospital sometime Thursday.
The suspect could face 30 years to LIFE if convicted in a court of law. The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The woman was arrested for driving under the influence and involuntary manslaughter.
The suspect was drunk and driving the wrong way on Interstate 44 on Wednesday night when she killed a woman and seriously injured the man driving another car in Franklin County, authorities said.
The Missouri Highway Patrol said the wrong-way driver suffered serious injuries and was taken to Mercy Hospital for treatment. The suspect lives in Sullivan.
The crash happened just after 7 p.m. Wednesday on eastbound I-44 in Franklin County. The woman who died in the crash was identified as 32-year-old Victoria N. Wilson of St. Clair. She was a passenger in a car that was hit by the suspect, police said. Wilson’s husband was seriously hurt.
The suspect was issued a citation Wednesday night at the hospital for two felonies: driving while intoxicated resulting in death, and driving while intoxicated resulting in injury. Cpl. Dallas Thompson of the Missouri Highway Patrol said the suspect was cited for those offenses and a patrol trooper will be seeking charges from the Franklin County prosecutor’s office.
Thompson said no mugshot was available of the suspect because she was hospitalized after the wreck, and no court date has been set.
The fatal crash happened on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Capitol riot last Jan. 6. The suspect was pictured during the riot holding a broken sign from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) office.
This woman destroyed the office of Nancy Pelosi. She said she was sorry. Now she faces possible federal charges for a drunk driving incident. |
Ethan Corlija, one of the suspect’s lawyers, said he was with her on Wednesday night at the hospital. She needed surgery to close a head wound, he said, but was expected to be released from the hospital sometime Thursday.
He said the crash was “a tragic event” and “not intentional,” adding, “My heart goes out to the other motorist who lost their life and their family.”
Corlija said the plan was to go forward with a court hearing Monday at which the suspect will plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge connected to the Capitol riot.
The misdemeanor should carry a recommended sentence of six months or less in prison.
The suspect is facing five misdemeanors in U.S. District Court in Washington, including knowingly entering a restricted building without authority, demonstrating in the Capitol, stealing, and knowingly engaging in disorderly conduct in a restricted building with intent to impede the government.
Pictures and videos from inside and outside the Capitol show a smiling suspect holding up a piece of a sign from Pelosi’s office. Charging documents say tipsters told the FBI that it was the suspect, and also said she’d posted pictures of herself in the Capitol via Snapchat.
The suspect was one of three people who traveled together to Washington for the “Stop the Steal” rally. All three entered the Capitol and were charged. William D. “Bill” Merry, the suspect’s uncle, and Paul Scott Westover, his friend, have both pleaded guilty.
In the fatal crash, the patrol said the suspect had been driving west in the eastbound lanes in a 2014 Volkswagen Passat. Wilson was a passenger in an eastbound 2019 Buick Enclave driven by Ryan E. Wilson, 36, of St. Clair. He suffered serious injuries and was being treated at Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan.
The patrol said both cars swerved right before the crash. After the vehicles collided, Ryan Wilson’s car ended up hitting cable barriers in the highway median.
Victoria Wilson, the woman killed in the crash, was the mother of two boys, ages 15 and 10. Her husband, Ryan, is a stay-at-home father and the boys were being homeschooled since the COVID-19 outbreak.
“She had a heart of gold,” said Victoria’s mother, Tonie Donaldson. “Not everyone can work with mentally challenged children, and she’s done it since she was 13.”
“She never went without a smile on her face,” her mother said.
While Ryan Wilson was hospitalized Thursday, Donaldson and her husband, Eddie, were taking care of their grandsons. Donaldson said Ryan Wilson suffered broken bones in a foot and had a dislocated ankle and several lacerations.
Ryan and Victoria Wilson were heading home on I-44 Wednesday night after eating dinner at Applebee’s to celebrate an upcoming wedding anniversary. Their anniversary isn’t until Sunday but they celebrated early because Victoria works weekends, Donaldson said. The couple had been together 15 years.
Donaldson said she was upset that the suspect wasn’t already in jail or prison for her role in the Capitol riots.
“Why is she still out?” Donaldson told the Post-Dispatch. “With what she did to the government, why is she still walking the street?”
Donaldson said of the suspect, “At 7 o’clock, you’re drunk and she got on the highway drunk?”
Donaldson said the family has set up a fundraising account to help cover funeral expenses.
The suspect could face 30 years to LIFE if convicted in a court of law. The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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