Six Western Pennsylvanians charged for Capitol insurrection; state ranks second among total arrested

[TexasTowelie]

Even though Pennsylvanians voted to elect President Joe Biden in 2020, the state still has plenty of fervent supporters of Donald Trump. Just take a drive through many rural and exurban parts of the state, including many sections of Western Pennsylvania, and it’s easy to spot Trump signs still in yards, even after the election. (“Trump 2020: Make Liberals Cry Again” signs seem particularly popular.)

And it appears among those supporters are people so fervent, they were willing to break federal and local laws in the name of Trump.

So far, Pennsylvania has the second most residents charged in connection to January’s insurrection on the U.S. Capitol of any state in the country. Twenty Pennsylvanians have so far been charged with federal and local offenses, according to NPR’s tracker and news reports. Only Texas, with at least 23 residents charged, has more among U.S. states.

Of those 20 Pennsylvanians, six hail from Western Pennsylvania. All of the Western Pennsylvanians have been charged by federal law enforcement officials. They include:

• Peter Schwartz: Lives in Fayette County and is accused of spraying Capitol Police officers with mace.
• Rachel Powell: From Mercer County and was recognized on video wearing a pink hat and directing rioters through a bullhorn as they ransacked the seat of the U.S. government, according to federal law enforcement officials.
• Kenneth Grayson: From Bridgeville and was live-streaming himself participating in the insurrection, according to the FBI.
• Jordan Mink: From South Fayette Township and is accused using a baseball bat to break a window in the Capitol.
• Matthew Perna: From Sharon in Mercer County and is charged with entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct.
• Russell James Peterson: From Rochester in Beaver County and is charged with knowingly entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct, disruptive conduct in the Capitol Buildings, and other offenses.

Read more: https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/six-western-pennsylvanians-charged-for-capitol-insurrection-state-ranks-second-among-total-arrested/Content?oid=18931230

[Indykatie]

1. Someone Said PA is MS with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in the Middle

Biden's centrist demeanor and ties to the state helped him win the state.

[bamagal62]

2. Philadelphia on one end,

Pittsburgh on the other, and Alabama in between. I think it was James Carville that said that. I’ve lived there and there are no truer words. Take a drive through there and you’ll see. We lived in Lancaster and our kids were at school in Pittsburgh. Driving across the state you see how very rural and isolated it is. And, solanco (southern Lancaster county) is known for gun nuts and white supremacists. There are a few townships that don’t fit the mold. But, they are just a handful. Take a drive to Happy Valley. Talk about isolated.

[LastDemocratInSC]

4. The center part is also known as Pennsyltucky.

[Tree-Hugger]

3. Trump signs

There are still Trump signs up in Philadelphia as well as my suburban town. Quote a few were put up AFTER the election. Some lawn displays have gotten larger.

[bamagal62]

5. Ugggh

[John1956PA]

6. For several years, I have been wary of the zealous right-wingers here in Western PA.

Even the average Republicans here are strident in their views. Most of the state legislature seats in the areas outlying Allegheny County are in Republican control. It is difficult for the Democratic Party to field viable candidates for the state House and Senate.

[FakeNoose]

7. It's amazing how many of them outed themselves on Facebook

... Twitter, Parler, Instagram, Reddit, etc. Some were even posting photos with GPS locations from their phones. How stupid can they be? Even though some of it was "deleted" later, it was never really deleted. The FBI and other authorities got the participants' digital IDs right off the cell tower media server at the U.S. Capitol. They have archives from the SMS sites for that day.

There is just a mountain of data that investigators are going through now. More arrests will come, but the feds are prioritizing the ones who actually entered the Capitol building that day. Those were the truly dangerous individuals because some were carrying weapons and some were threatening violence. The insurrectionists who just stayed outside looking stupid, they may never get a visit from the feds. But they can't be sure.