A status hearing scheduled for Feb. 1 has been continued until early April in the case of a Willoughby woman accused of participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in Washington D.C.
Christine Priola, 50, is facing charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful entry; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and unlawful activities on Capitol grounds.
A federal magistrate judge in Washington D.C. granted the unopposed continuance requested by federal prosecutors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie F. Zimmerman wrote in the motion that “the investigation and prosecution of the Capitol Attack will likely be one of the largest in American history, both in terms of the number of defendants prosecuted and the nature and volume of the evidence.
“In sum, due to the number of individuals currently charged across the Capitol Attack investigation and the nature of those charges, the ongoing investigation of many other individuals, the volume and nature of potentially discoverable materials, and the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation by all parties taking into account the exercise of due diligence, the failure to grant such a continuance in this proceeding would be likely to make a continuation of this proceeding impossible, or result in a miscarriage of justice,” Zimmerman wrote in the motion. “Accordingly, the ends of justice served by granting a request for a continuance outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial.”
U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey on Jan. 31 granted a 60-day continuance. The status hearing is now scheduled for April 5, according to court records.
According to the criminal complaint filed against Priola, images circulating on numerous news media platforms showed a woman on Jan. 6 holding a sign that read, in part, “The Children Cry Out for Justice,” and pointing a cell phone at another person occupying the seat of the U.S. vice president in the Senate chambers.
The woman in the photo was wearing a red winter coat and “distinctive pants” that appeared to have “Trump” and other words written on the legs.
On Jan. 8, 2021, the Cleveland Division of the FBI received an anonymous tip via Twitter that the woman in the photo was allegedly Priola. In the complaint, a U.S. marshal stated Priola was identified by comparing photographs from the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway with photos taken Jan. 6.
A search warrant was executed on the evening of Jan. 8 at Priola’s Willoughby home. Law enforcement agents recovered a laptop computer, two desktop computers, several thumb drives and an iPhone, according to the complaint.
Priola was arrested Jan. 13, 2021. She is free on bond. A trial date in her case has not yet been set.
Priola worked as an occupational therapist in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. She resigned from her job on Jan. 7, 2021, according to her personnel file with the district. Her resignation letter referenced conspiracy theories.
