Rachel Powell

The trial for a former Butler County woman who has ties to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in the nation’s capital is scheduled to begin Tuesday, May 9, after being continued for one additional day.

The trial of Rachel Marie Powell, of Sandy Lake, Mercer County, was set to start Monday, but a motion was granted by U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth in Washington, D.C., Friday postpone its start. The trial was rescheduled to start at 10 a.m. May 9 before Lamberth in Washington.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed eight charges against Powell, claiming she used a bullhorn to encourage rioters, entered the Capitol Building and used a pipe to attempt to break a window.

The complaint filed by the FBI against Powell includes photos that the government says shows Powell outside and inside the building wearing a pink hat. Media dubbed her “Pink Hat Lady” because of the photos.

Powell is free on her own recognizance.

In November last year, Lamberth scheduled the trial to begin Feb. 21. However, at a Feb. 10 status conference, a federal prosecutor and Powell’s defense attorney updated Lamberth about the case and requested a jury trial. Lamberth scheduled the trial and set the deadline for pretrial motions.

The riot disrupted a joint session of Congress that was convened to certify the vote of the Electoral College for the 2020 presidential election.

The riot resulted in the assault of more than 80 members of the Capitol Police and nearly 60 members of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department.

In the motion to continue the trial, Powell’s counsel cited a lack of preparation time as reason for delay. According to the document, Powell’s prior counsel had misplaced materials provided during its discovery period and the current counsel had been tied up in a different trial for about five months until May 4. Additionally, the current counsel said they did not receive discovery materials, and called the government’s plea bargaining deal for Powell unreasonable.