South Carolina teahouse operator from Fairfield County arrested in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Another South Carolinian has been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol, where supporters of former President Donald Trump attempted to prevent the peaceful transfer of power resulting from the presidential election of 2020.

Christina Praser-Fair, of Fairfield County, was arrested by the FBI’s Columbia field office in late September. She was charged with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in any Capitol building or grounds, and parading, demonstrating or picketed a Capitol building, according to federal court records.

She is the 29th South Carolinian arrested during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. She could not be reached for comment.

According to her LInkedIn profile, Praser-Fair is a “tea specialist” who is president of Cornwallis Tea Co., a Winnsboro restaurant offering artisan teas. The restaurant bills itself as “a cozy spot for soups, sandwiches, salads and pastries, as well as a variety of teas.” Praser-Fair’s profile also lists Marymount University, a private Catholic university in Arlington, Virginia, as her course of study.

A detailed complaint in her case says Praser-Fair was interviewed by WLTX-TV two days after the riot and told the reporter that while she was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, she did not enter the building.

However, a comprehensive review of surveillance video/closed captioning on 17 different cameras showed Praser-Fair and her teenage son inside the Capitol, according to the complaint. The son has not been named because he is a minor.

Praser-Fair entered the Capitol at 2:22 p.m. — 22 minutes after rioters broke into the building — and remained there until 2:49 p.m., according to the complaint.

At 2:20 p.m., minutes before Praser-Fair entered the building through the Senate wing, rioters forced members of the U.S. Senate and Vice President Mike Pence to begin evacuating the chamber. Members of the United States House of Representatives also began fleeing their chambers around this time.

During her stay, she walked to the second floor of the Capitol, walked through several hallways, through the Rotunda, through Statuary Hall, through the hallways leading outside the United States House of Representatives, then returned to the Rotunda and finally came out of her thoughts. the door to the second floor rotunda, the complaint states.

Although the complaint against Praser-Fair does not allege that she committed acts of violence, federal judges in other South Carolina cases have emphasized in court proceedings that the hundreds of nonviolent people such as Praser -Fair at the Capitol that day covered the story. Hundreds of aggressive rioters confronted police using weapons and chemical sprays, broke through police lines and smashed windows to gain access to the building.

Praser-Fair is now free on personal bond. His next court date is Dec. 17, according to court records.

The justices also noted that non-violent rioters, to gain access to the Capitol, had to pass through toppled barricades and allegedly saw police fighting with rioters. The Capitol was surrounded by temporary and permanent barricades that day and closed to the public.

On January 6, 2001, tens of thousands of people arrived in Washington to protest the results of the presidential election and to listen to speeches by Trump and others falsely claiming that the November 3 election had been rigged in favor Democrats.

These allegations have been rejected by around sixty courts in conflicting states for lack of evidence. Numerous audits and recounts have confirmed the victory of current President Joe Biden. The U.S. Supreme Court also rejected attempts to overturn the election. Trump’s own Attorney General, William Barr, has publicly stated that the FBI investigated allegations of voter fraud and found nothing that could have changed the outcome of the election.

After Trump’s speech, several thousand protesters marched toward the Capitol building, attacked police, breached defenses, and entered the building.

At the time, the House and Senate were beginning to conduct a ceremonial but necessary certification of each state’s Electoral College votes. The rioters who entered the Capitol interrupted that process for about five hours while members of Congress, along with Pence, fled to secure areas.

The January 6 riots remain a hot political issue and are the source of numerous criminal proceedings against the rioters. Trump also faces criminal charges for his role in instigating the riot. And Trump continues to repeat his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him. Last week, at a town hall meeting, he called the January 6 riots a “day of love.”

In fact, more than 1,500 people were arrested for their actions during the riots. This is the largest criminal investigation by the Department of Justice in U.S. history.

“During the siege of the Capitol that day, more than 140 officers were assaulted – including more than 80 from the United States Capitol Police and more than 60 from the Washington Metropolitan Police Department – ​​the Capitol was damaged , government property was destroyed and other government property was destroyed. stolen. Current estimates indicate that losses resulting from the siege of the Capitol exceed $2.8 million,” a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice states.

Of more than 1,500 arrests, 571 people are accused of assaulting, resisting or obstructing law enforcement. Some 170 defendants have been charged with entering a restricted area with a dangerous weapon.

Already 943 defendants have pleaded guilty. Evidence against the rioters generally includes video, as well as GPS location data from the rioters’ cell phones.