Background: FILE — Violent rioters loyal to President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File). Inset: Celena Belton, left, and Bennett Blair inside the U.S. Capitol (Dept. of Justice court filing).
A Virginia couple is under arrest for allegedly breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 — and smoking while occupying the table inside a U.S. senator’s office.
Bennett Blair and Celene Belton, both of Henrico County, Virginia, were arrested Thursday, according to court filings. Henrico County is part of the greater Richmond area, some 115 miles south of Washington, D.C.
People interviewed by federal investigators identified Belton as Blair’s girlfriend.
Blair and Belton allegedly entered the Capitol at around 2:51 p.m. that day, almost 30 minutes after the initial breach at 2:13 p.m., according to a probable cause affidavit. They then posed for a selfie, which was apparently captioned “United States Capitol rotunda” and then posted to Blair’s Snapchat. It appears to show Belton wearing a red Donald Trump hat and smiling while the lower half of Blair’s face is hidden under what appears to be black fabric.
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Minutes later, at 2:58 p.m., the couple went into the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon. As Law&Crime has previously reported, Merkley’s office was seriously damaged by members of the pro-Trump mob that had stormed the Capitol as Congress had begun to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral win.
Belton is seen sitting at table, “lighting and smoking an object” as Blair recorded her on his phone, the affidavit says.
Figure 13: Celena Belton (circled in yellow) lighting and smoking an object while Bennett Blair (circled in red) appears to be filming or using his phone (Dept. of Justice court filing).
The couple were seen exiting the building less than a half-hour later, at around 3:14 p.m., prosecutors say. They are alleged to have spent around 23 minutes inside.
Like many people charged with Jan. 6 crimes, Blair appeared to boast about his alleged participation in the riot on his own social media.
“We just f—ing stormed the Capitol,” he said on Snapchat as he was apparently at the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol building, according to federal investigators. “We stormed the f—ing Capitol. Look what we are doing baby. Taking this country back!”
Blair also appeared to broadcast from inside the Capitol, specifically the Senate Wing Door vestibule, the affidavit said.
At one point, he allegedly screamed “Traitors!” at the police line inside.
Bennett and Belton are each charged with four misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. The charges carry a potential combined three-year prison sentence.
As of Monday afternoon, the federal docket did not indicate an upcoming court hearing.
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