New Charges Against Local Resident In Capitol Riot
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A year and two months after the storming of the Capitol, indictments are still coming.
On Friday, the government named Jordan Bonenberger of Cranberry as a defendant, accusing him of illegally entering the Capitol and engaging in disorderly and disruptive behavior -- charges that could bring five years in prison.
The government entered video and pictures showing Bonenberger entering the Capitol with other demonstrators, again with others in the rotunda and alone in the West Corridor of the building. The affidavit states: "BONENBERGER can be seen walking throughout multiple locations inside the Capitol together and at times separately."
The charges were heard here in Pittsburgh, but the case will now be transferred to Washington, D.C. That's where Rachel Powell, the Mercer County mother of eight, had her latest hearing on whether she would accept a plea bargain on her involvement in the riot.
At the hearing, her defense attorney and the government said they were at an impasse. The government had offered a plea deal and Powell had offered a counter-proposal. But since the sides can't agree, the case will continue and head to trial if an agreement can't be reached.
But in yet another court proceeding, former West Virginia state Senator Derrick Evans pleaded guilty to his involvement in the riots. Evans told the judge that he agrees to government claims he illegally breached the Capitol. He faces a sentencing hearing in June.
Bonenberger has been released on bond. His sister Caitlin told KDKA-TV, "He didn't do anything disruptive, wasn't protesting, didn't have a sign or anything. Just the wrong place at the wrong time."
