Florida woman gets 6 years in prison for attacking officers during U.S. Capitol riot

WASHINGTON — A Florida woman was sentenced Friday to six years in federal prison for attacking police officers during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Audrey Ann Southard-Rumsey, 54, of Spring Hill, Florida, was sentenced in District of Columbia federal court, according to court records. She was found guilty in January of seven felony charges, including three counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, three counts of civil disorder and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding.

Southard-Rumsey was arrested in June 2021.

According to court documents, Southard-Rumsey joined with others in objecting to Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory over then-President Donald Trump. A mob stormed the Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying election results for Biden over Trump, a Republican, authorities have said. Five people died in the violence.

According to the criminal complaint, Southard-Rumsey amplified calls for revolution on social media and worked with others on a declaration calling for the abolition of the Democratic Party and the institution of a new government. On the day of the Capitol attack, Southard-Rumsey uploaded a photograph of herself at the east plaza to Facebook and then broadcasted a live video of herself, the complaint states.

Southard-Rumsey was part of a large group that broke through police barricades, prosecutors said. At one point, she grabbed an officer’s riot shield and then later pushed an officer with a flagpole, causing him to fall and hit his head, officials said. She also joined a group that pushed officers down some stairs, authorities said.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for alleged crimes related to the Capitol breach, according to officials. More than 350 people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.