Two Springfield women charged with violating the Capitol on Jan. 6 — both while on probation or bail for previous felony convictions — were sentenced Friday to a shelter and the other to jail.
Cara Hentschel, 35, was sentenced to 45 days in a “residential return center,” 36 months’ probation, 60 hours of community service and a $500 fine.
Mahailya Pryer, 35, who invaded the Capitol with Hentschel, was ordered to serve 45 days of incarceration, 36 months of probation and 60 hours of community service. U.S. District Judge Florence Y. Pan also ordered Pryer to participate in an inpatient substance abuse program and undergo drug testing.
In addition, the two must also pay back $500 for damage to the Capitol on Jan. 6, which prosecutors say totaled about $2.7 million.
The women, who have both served time in prison for previous crimes, pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing inside a Capitol in May.
The two appeared via video conference at consecutive hearings in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Hentschel told the judge she was “100 percent sorry” for her actions on Jan. 6.
“Not only am I ashamed, but I’ve been touched by this in so many different ways,” she said.
And Pryer said: “I apologize very, very much for what happened on January 6. I think it’s really awful. … I deeply regret what I have done, the damage I have caused.”
Before sentencing them, Pan told the women that while they did not commit violence or destroy property themselves, they were part of a gang that did.
“January 6, 2021 was a dark day for our country,” said Pan. “A peaceful transfer of power, the hallmark of our democracy, was violently disrupted by a mob that swept the United States Capitol and overwhelmed law enforcement… That mob acted with intent to destroy the results of free and fair elections. to do. The mob acted to undermine the will of the American people who voted in those elections.”
That mob, she said, used violence, violence and intimidation “to try to install the loser of the election as the winner.”
“And in doing so, the mob literally and symbolically desecrated our government institution.”
The government sentencing memorandums filed in court state that Hentschel and Pryer drove from Missouri to Washington DC with two others to attend the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6. Then they joined the crowd of protesters who entered. limited ground at the Capitol and climbed the stairs on the east side of the building that led to the Rotunda doors.
The women were “among an increasingly excited and rowdy crowd that repeatedly clashed with police and caused multiple robberies at the Rotunda Doors,” the documents said.
Both women voluntarily entered the building, but told FBI agents they had no choice because the crowd’s movement forced them inside. Their entrance was just minutes after the second breach of the Rotunda doors, according to the documents.
“There were clear signs of violent entry as they entered the building,” the sentencing documents said. “The door windows were shattered and there was broken glass on the floor. Alarms went off and the police had attacked at that location minutes before they entered the building. When they came in, officers were still clashing with rioters.”
The women roamed the Rotunda and adjacent corridors and left the building after about eight minutes, the documents said.
Afterward, the documents said: “Hentschel boasted and bragged about her involvement in the riots and being one of the first to enter the building. In some posts and messages, she falsely boasted about breaking into Speaker Pelosi’s office.”
‘Little respect for the law’
Hentschel’s social media statements “unequivocally endorsed the rioting, and perhaps worst of all, showed that it encouraged future violence,” the documents said. She also destroyed evidence after the riots and admitted to deleting videos and photos from her phone.
The criminal files describe Hentschel’s extensive criminal history, saying it “shows her lack of respect for the law.”
Since 2008, Hentschel has been convicted of 11 felonies and three drug offences, the documents said. The offenses related to a 2017 Greene County case in which Hentschel was sentenced to 15 years incarceration. The court suspended her prison sentence and placed her on probation for five years.
“Between 2017 and 2019, Hentschel violated the terms of her probation no less than 11 times,” the documents say. Her probation was eventually revoked and her underlying jail terms were reimposed. She participated in an early release program, was released after 120 days, and was given five years’ probation.
Hentschel was serving probation when she traveled to the Capitol and took part in the riots, the document reads.
Hentschel’s sentencing memorandum filed with the court included letters of praise from her supervisor at a Springfield communications company and her mother, who said her daughter struggled with addiction for years, beginning as a young teen.
“Thank God she’s finally locked up,” her mother wrote. “It saved her life. She came out clean and sober for the first time in her adult life. Since the day she was released, she has put her life in order and atone for past mistakes.”
Since she was released from prison, Hentschel’s mother wrote: “She made one mistake, on January 6. It was never meant to be what it became, and she regrets it without words.”
‘Extensive criminal history’
Pryer also has a criminal history that includes felony crimes, according to the sentencing documents — a record the government described as “troubling.”
Since 2008, Pryer has been convicted of multiple felonies and various misdemeanors, the documents said. A felony was breaking into a vehicle and stealing credit cards and currency.
She was initially sentenced to four years’ probation, but that was withdrawn and she was given a 120-day jail term, the documents said. After her release, she was again given probation, but she again violated it and was sent to prison for three years.
“During her probation and parole, she had a whopping 92 violations,” the sentencing documents read.
“Pryer’s extensive criminal record, recidivism and (and) difficulty in complying with law enforcement mandates demonstrate her lack of respect for the law,” the government said.
In Pryer’s criminal memorandum filed with the court, her lawyer said she had “largely” fulfilled her release terms, but recently relapsed and admitted herself to a drug treatment clinic.
On Thursday, the government filed a supplement to its sentencing memorandum, saying it had just learned that Pryer had used heroin this month in violation of her provisional release on the Capitol indictment. And last week, the document said, the government found that Pryer had been convicted of a felony in Missouri in April. The conviction stemmed from a 2017 charge of endangering the welfare of a child with drugs. She was sentenced to five years in prison, but the sentence was suspended and she was given five years’ probation.
Pryer was on bail for that crime when she took part in the Capitol riot.
Since the riots, Pryer has had two more criminal cases: a felony in Lawrence County for operating a motor vehicle without a valid license in April 2021, and a felony in Greene County in August 2021 for driving a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license. valid license. That case also included charges of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident.
Written statements express regret
In a written statement to the judge, Hentschel described the events that took place on January 6, 2021 as “nothing less than horrific”.
“The fact that I was there is extremely embarrassing and I am very ashamed that I entered the Capitol that day,” she wrote. “After seeing the footage, my heart breaks for the Capitol Police who put their lives on the line that day, and even more so for all the lives lost and affected by this.
“There is absolutely no excuse, and I think I should be held accountable. I now understand that being an American means respecting the Constitution and laws and acting in a way that honors the principles that govern us. I will never violate those principles again.”
Pryer said in a handwritten note that she was “deeply sorry” for taking part in the riots.
“I went to DC just to support and express my beliefs,” she wrote. “I have not gone to do any kind of harm or harm. My actions that day were due to the fact that I was being liquidated by the other people around us. It was so chaotic and everything went so fast….
“My actions on January 6th were unacceptable… I hate that the events of January 6th happened the way they happened. I just wanted to protest peacefully. I recognize my problems and want to change. I accept responsibility for my actions and apologize for the damage I have caused. I hope those who have upset me can forgive me.”
