HARRISBURG, Pa. — Note: The video is from Jan. 26.
The Harrisburg woman accused of participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and stealing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop successfully petitioned the court to allow her some freedom from house arrest during the day while she awaits trial, according to court records.
Riley Williams, 22, was arrested in January on charges that she was among the crowd that illegally entered the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, D.C. She was later charged with stealing Pelosi's laptop upon further investigation, court records say.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday granted a motion from Williams' defense team asking for permission to leave her residence daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., in order to seek employment.
Williams was originally placed on house arrest with location monitoring as part of the terms of her release on Jan. 21, 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.
But in a motion filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Williams' attorneys argued that she has not been indicted yet -- which indicates Williams faces a lengthy pre-trial process.
“Ms. Williams has bills to pay including a car payment, and a phone payment as she was ordered to get a flip phone in this case,” the motion says.
Because Williams has not violated her release conditions so far, her defense team argued she should be allowed to leave her house to look for a job.
In the motion, her attorneys requested she be allowed to leave her home daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The time would not only allow her to seek employment, it would also “give her a little freedom of movement as the case progresses," her attorneys said.
Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather signed off on the motion on Tuesday, allowing Williams to leave her home during the specified time period.
All other conditions of her house arrest remain in effect, the order states.
Williams is expected to have a hearing on May 28, court documents say.