One of Western Pennsylvania's large contingent of accused U.S. Capitol rioters admitted to his crimes Monday.
William Blauser Jr., of McKean County, entered a plea in federal court in the District of Columbia to parading and demonstrating in a Capitol building.
Mr. Blauser, of Ludlow, and Pauline Bauer, of Kane, were charged together in May with breaching the Capitol on Jan. 6 as part of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the building.
Both had been charged with entering restricted grounds, engaging in disruptive conduct on restricted grounds and violent entry of restricted grounds. Ms. Bauer is also charged with obstruction of Congress.
Mr. Blauser and Ms. Bauer traveled to Washington to attend the Trump rally and walked to the Capitol after his speech. At 2:43 p.m., the pair pushed through the crowd and past police to enter the building through the East Rotunda doors, according to the plea.
At least three police officers were at the door trying to stop the crowd, but the pair entered the Capitol anyway.
Inside, Mr. Blauser held a sign that read "Walk as Free People" and stood near Ms. Bauer as she screamed, "Bring them out, they're criminals. ... They need to hang," according to a recitation of the days' events recited at the plea hearing by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Peterson.
Video images captured both inside the Capitol.
At 3:02, they were involved in a "brief skirmish" with police as officers tried to push them out of the Rotunda.
They left the building at 3:21 p.m.
Ms. Bauer's case is pending. She had previously been released while awaiting trial but violated the conditions of her release order and got locked up.
On Nov. 5, she again asked a judge to let her go, saying in a handwritten note that she had learned the "error of my ways" while promising to follow the rules from now on.
Her motion for release is pending.
First Published: November 16, 2021, 3:31 p.m.
Updated: November 16, 2021, 3:37 p.m.
