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Pilot Mountain Woman Pleads Guilty In Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Case

Virginia Spencer is seen inside the U.S. Capitol Building in this video screenshot. Courtesy U.S. Department of Justice

A woman from Pilot Mountain is the first person from the Piedmont Triad to be convicted on charges related to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

38-year-old Virginia Marie Spencer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for her role in the riot at the Capitol building. She and her husband were accused of entering the building without permission.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports that Spencer made a virtual appearance Thursday at U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., where she entered a guilty plea on the charge.

Federal prosecutors are requesting that three other misdemeanor charges be dropped as part of a plea agreement, but she still faces up to a six-month prison sentence. Spencer must also pay a $500 restitution fine. She remains free until a sentencing hearing in January.

Her husband Christopher Spencer was the first person from North Carolina to be charged for his role in the insurrection, but his plea hearing is not yet on the docket.

At least six other people from the Triad are also facing federal charges for participating in the riot.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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