Georgia couple charged in capitol insurrection brought before federal judge in Columbus
A Taylor County couple charged in last year’s Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol Building faced a federal magistrate in Columbus on Friday.
Charles Hand III, 35, and Mandy Robinson-Hand, 46, of Butler, Georgia, have been charged with four federal misdemeanors related to the riot that disrupted Congress as it tried to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, authorities said.
Brought to court in handcuffs, they were there only long enough for Magistrate Stephen Hyles to read the charges against them and release each on a $5,000 bond. Hyles told them they would not have to pay the bond or use any property to secure their release, only sign documents pledging to return to court when summoned.
Represented by federal public defender Jessy Lee, they were freed when the hearing ended, and declined comment afterward. Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals presented no evidence that showed how investigators identified the Hands among the crowd that stormed the capitol, or what they are alleged to have done inside the building.
They face no felony charges. Each is accused of four misdemeanors, two of those counts federal Class A misdemeanors that carry a penalty of up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. The other two counts are lesser offenses with a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine, Hyles said.
The next step is a preliminary hearing to be held in federal court in Washington, D.C., which has jurisdiction over cases related to the riot, the magistrate said.
These are the charges, the first two the Class A misdemeanors:
- Entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds.
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
- Disorderly conduct in a capitol building.
- Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 3:35 PM.