Missouri woman is back in jail for alleged probation violations in Capitol riot case

A Springfield woman who served a brief prison sentence last year in connection with the Capitol riot is back in federal custody.

Mahailya Pryer, 35, was arrested this month for eight alleged probation violations, according to court records. She was transported to Washington, D.C., where she is now being held without bond in the District of Columbia jail.

A hearing on the alleged violations is scheduled for May 31 in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Among the violations are that Pryer “continues to associate with known drug users and individuals involved in the criminal justice system,” operated a motor vehicle on four occasions without a valid license or insurance, possessed methamphetamine on four occasions, failed to make any effort to get a job and failed to attend substance abuse treatment.

“According to the supervision officer, Ms. Pryer presents as if she is intentionally committing violations and not being truthful because she does not believe there are consequences,” said a report from the U.S. Probation Office filed with the court on April 23.

Court records show that Pryer was arrested by a deputy U.S. Marshal on May 1 for the alleged violations. After a May 3 hearing in federal court in Springfield, she was moved to Washington, where she attended a hearing in federal court on May 16.

Both the government and probation office requested that Pryer be held without bond until the next hearing. She appeared in court for a status hearing on Monday, and the judge ordered that she continue to be held without bond pending the probation violation hearing next week.

Pryer and another Springfield woman, Cara Hentschel, breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and were charged with four misdemeanors. Both women were on probation or bond for prior felony convictions at the time.

The women each pleaded guilty in May 2022 to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. They faced a maximum sentence of six months’ incarceration, five years’ probation and a $5,000 fine.

Pryer was sentenced in September to 45 days’ incarceration, 36 months’ probation and 60 hours of community service. She also was ordered to participate in an inpatient substance abuse program and undergo drug testing.

Hentschel was sentenced to 45 days in a “residential re-entry center,” 36 months’ probation, 60 hours of community service and a $500 fine. In addition, the two also were required to pay $500 restitution for damage to the Capitol building on Jan. 6, which prosecutors say totaled more than $2.8 million.

At her sentencing, Pryer told the judge that “I am very, very apologetic for what happened on January 6. I do think that it’s a horrible thing. ... I’m very remorseful for what I’ve done, the harm that I caused.”

The government’s sentencing memorandums filed with the court said Hentschel and Pryer drove with two others from Missouri to Washington, D.C., to attend the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6. Afterward, they joined the mob of protesters who entered restricted grounds at the Capitol and ascended the stairs on the east side of the building that led to the Rotunda doors.

The women were “among an increasingly agitated and raucous crowd that repeatedly clashed with police and caused multiple breaches at the Rotunda Doors,” the documents said.

Both women voluntarily entered the building but told FBI agents that they had no choice because the movement of the crowd forced them inside. Their entrance was just minutes after the second breach of the Rotunda doors, according to the documents.

“There were clear signs of violent entry when they entered the building,” the sentencing documents said. “The door’s glass panes were shattered, and broken glass was on the floor. Alarms sounded and police had been assaulted in that location minutes prior to their entry into the building. When they entered, officers were still engaged in confrontations with rioters.”

The women roamed through the Rotunda and adjoining hallways, then exited the building after about eight minutes, the documents said.

In a handwritten note filed with the court prior to her sentencing, Pryer wrote that she was “deeply sorry” she had participated in the riot.

“I went to D.C. to only support my beliefs and voice them,” she wrote. “I did not go to cause any kind of damage or harm. My actions that day was due to getting wound up by the other people around us. It was so chaotic and everything happened so fast….

“My actions on January 6th were unacceptable… I hate that the events of January 6th happened as they did. I only meant to peacefully protest. I recognize my issues and want to change. I accept responsibility for my actions and apologize for any harm I caused. I hope the ones I upset can forgive me.”