WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Editor's note: The above video is from Jan. 26, 2021.
The trial for Riley Williams, the Harrisburg woman accused of stealing Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop during the Jan. 6 insurrection, began this week.
According to a scheduling order, the trial kicked off on Monday at 9:30 a.m.
Williams is being tried by a jury in Washington, D.C. Her motion to move the trial to Harrisburg based on claims that it would be easier to find an impartial jury away from the capital city was denied, with a judge noting that she had not raised any concerns that could not be addressed through voir dire, a legal term for the jury selection process.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to all charges against her, which include obstruction of an official proceeding, assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, theft of government property, entering and remaining inside a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a capitol building and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building.
In November 2021, the public defender representing Williams filed a motion to dismiss a charge of obstructing an official proceeding filed against her by federal law enforcement for her alleged role in the riot.
Williams was originally placed on house arrest with location monitoring as part of the terms of her release on Jan. 21, 2021,according to court documents. The terms of her house arrest dictated she remain home at all times except for employment, education, appearances in court, and other court-related services and activities.
As part of her home confinement, Williams was ordered to stay off the Internet, get a flip phone, submit to drug testing, check in with mental health services and stay away from Washington, D.C., except to attend court. A judge also ordered her to find a job that did not require the use of the Internet.
The defendant successfully petitioned the court in May to allow her freedom of movement between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. to seek employment.
She unsuccessfully attempted to reduce the conditions of her house arrest, but judges twice allowed her to visit the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.
Williams' trial continued today at 9:30 a.m.