Shawndale and Donald Chilcoat are pictured inside the Senate chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., during the insurrection on January 6, 2021.
Photos courtesy of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal prosecutors intend to present plea offers in the near future to Shawndale and Donald Chilcoat, Mercer County residents charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol.
According to a docket entry in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia case against Donald and Shawndale Chilcoat, the plea offers will be made by prosecutors prior to a scheduled July 3 status hearing.
Donald Chilcoat and his wife, from Celina, were arrested Aug. 11, 2022, and were charged in federal court with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, entering and remaining in the gallery of Congress, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, demonstrating or picketing in any Capitol building, and obstructing or impeding any official proceeding.
According to the FBI, the Celina residents were among thousands of people who had gathered in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021 — the day when the U.S. Congress was to formally certify the results of the 2020 presidential election which saw Joe Biden defeat incumbent Donald Trump.
A status hearing in the case was held Friday by video conference. At that time government prosecutors announced “one small piece of discovery” is outstanding for Donald Chilcoat and that the evidence “will be produced to him within the next few days.”
The discovery process is otherwise complete, court records show.
Plea offers have not yet been extended to Donald and Shawndale Chilcot “but will be before the next status hearing” on July 3, according to docket information in the case. At that time the defendants will be asked to provide an update about the direction of the case.
The continuance will allow the Chilcoats to obtain and review discovery and determine how they intend to proceed with the case, according to Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.
Shawndale Chilcoat on Dec. 28 of last year also submitted a six-page filing to the court asking that the charges against her and her husband be dismissed.
“I cannot and will not speak for everyone there but I will speak for myself. I have 90% of it on video and I’m sure the government has the other 10%,” her letter read in part. “We caused no harm and caused no monetary loss. For almost two years I thought I witnessed a ‘good guy psychological operation of patriotism’ on that day. …The charges against me and my husband are ridiculous.”
