(Ken Silva, Headline USA) As violent crime spikes in Washington DC, the FBI has arrested a grandmother who was peacefully inside Capitol Hill for about five minutes on Jan. 6, 2021.
Virginia woman Stacey Lynn Stephens faces charges of disorderly conduct, entering or remaining in restricted grounds and demonstrating in a Capitol building.
According to a sworn statement from FBI special agent Bela Schuler, an FBI informant provided pictures of Stephens in May 2022. The informant also provided photographs of still shots where Stephens is seen in videos inside the Capitol.
Last August, the FBI interviewed Stephens, who told agents that she and her mother, Linda Carpenter, went to see President Trump speak on the National Mall on Jan. 6.
“Stephens stated that she entered the U.S. Capitol to protect her elderly mother, to make sure she would remain safe among the crowd,” special agent Schuler said. “Stephens and Carpenter were inside the U.S. Capitol for approximately five minutes.”
Despite the harmless nature of what Stephens did more than two years ago, the FBI arrested her last week in what could be a new round of Jan. 6 prosecutions. The DOJ reportedly warned courts recently that more than 1,000 more people could face charges in relation to Jan. 6.
“We expect the pace of bringing new cases will increase, in an orderly fashion, over the course of the next few months,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves reportedly warned a federal judge last October. Graves added at the time that it was difficult to predict the exact number of cases due to the “nature and the complexity of the investigation.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported last Wednesday that Graves’s office declined to prosecute 67% of those arrested by police officers in cases that would have been tried in D.C. Superior Court.
“That figure, first reported earlier this month on the substack DC Crime Facts, nearly doubled from 2015, when prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office declined to prosecute 35 percent of such cases,” the Post reported.
“The increased number of declined cases has sparked frustration among city leaders who are already under a national microscope from members of Congress for their crime fighting efforts.”
Conservative commentators were quick to note the sad irony that Graves is choosing to devote his resources towards prosecuting non-violent grandmothers while violent crime in his district is increasing unchecked.
Absolutely stunning.
Matthew Graves’ office is working nonstop to prosecute mostly misdemeanor offenses related to Jan 6 but allowing legitimate criminals in DC to skate.
Highest declination rate by far of any major city.
https://t.co/5vIA4dx3nf— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) March 29, 2023
“Absolutely stunning. Matthew Graves’ office is working nonstop to prosecute mostly misdemeanor offenses related to Jan 6 but allowing legitimate criminals in DC to skate,” wrote American Greatness journalists Julie Kelly. “Highest declination rate by far of any major city.”
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
