A couple with ties to the Santa Ynez Valley waived their right to a preliminary hearing during their first court appearance for a federal criminal case stemming from allegations they breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Karen Jane Jones and Robert Walter Jones remotely appeared via video in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on Tuesday. Santa Barbara-based attorney Robert Sanger is listed as their attorney.
They did not enter pleas during the hearing for the case and will continue to remain out of custody on their own recognizance, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Karen Jones, who serves on the Santa Ynez Community Services District board of directors, and her husband were arrested Dec. 14. She was taken into custody in Austin, Texas, while he was arrested in Los Angeles.
The arrest warrants were issued Nov. 28 by a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Columbia.
Online sleuths had identified the couple as being among those who entered the Capitol amid protests related to the joint session of the Congress to certify the Electoral College vote count after the 2020 presidential election.
FBI agents used records obtained from cellphones and email accounts, along with video and images on Jan. 6, to compile their case. Investigators also conducted surveillance of Karen Jones at her California residence.
The Joneses allegedly breached the perimeter establishing restricted grounds and eventually entered the Capitol building, federal investigators contend.
After U.S. Capitol Police directed protesters to exit, the Joneses remained in the Rotunda lobby “for some time.” Investigators used video to determine the pair were inside the Capitol for approximately 30 minutes in total.
Various images appear to show the couple close to each other during the incident.
They each face four misdemeanor charges, including for entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
In addition to waiving their right to a preliminary hearing, the federal judge on Tuesday granted the prosecution’s motion for a speedy trial. However, the speedy trial request excluded the period from Tuesday through March 5.
The judge also ordered prosecutors to produce all exculpatory evidence to the defendants, saying that not doing so in a timely manner may result in sanctions, including exclusion of evidence, adverse jury instructions, dismissal of charges and contempt proceedings.
Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather ordered the defendants to return to court for a status conference by telephone or video at 1 p.m. March 5.
Since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,230 individuals have been charged for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol. That includes more than 440 individuals being accused of a felony for assaulting or impeding law enforcement, federal officials said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.