- Jessica Watkins, an oath-keeper, was arrested in January and charged with conspiring to storm the Capitol.
- She has petitioned to be released from prison and the courts to consider house arrest.
- Watkins believes she is “at particular risk” as a transgender woman, BuzzFeed News reported.
- Visit Insider’s Business section for more stories.
A member of a far-right militia who stormed the Capitol building has petitioned to be released from prison over security concerns related to her being transgender, according to BuzzFeed News.
Jessica Watkins, an oath-keeper accused of conspiring to attack the US Capitol building on Jan. 6, filed for release pending trial on Saturday.
She claimed she was “treated harshly” and “particularly at risk in custody” for being transgender, BuzzFeed News reported.
Watkins also argued that she poses no threat to the public, according to the media.
The 38-year-old was detained in at least two facilities, including in the Montgomery County Jail in Dayton, Ohio. It is not clear where she is currently being held.
She asks the court to release her and consider house arrest instead.
In a legal document seen by BuzzFeed, Watkins claimed she had been assaulted in an Ohio prison.
She claims she was undressed and was in a cell with lights on for 4 days, in full view of everyone 24 hours a day, her lawyer said.
This was in response to a hunger strike that the oathguard went through in an attempt to get treatment for an arm injury, the media reported.
Authorities believe Watkins is the leader of the Ohio State Regular Militia, a far-right group that shares members with the Oath Keepers.
Watkins is a former army guard, war veteran from Afghanistan and volunteer firefighter, BuzzFeed News reported.
She has also managed a bar in Woodstock, Ohio for the past two years, according to the media.
The oath keeper was arrested on January 18. She was charged a week later on charges related to her activities in the uprising.
The selfie with Watkins and Crowl in the Capitol rotunda and a Watkins Parler post. Both were included in a court filing from federal prosecutors.
Department of Justice
Watkins was pictured storming the Capitol on January 6. She also confirmed that she stormed the building on Parler and took a selfie in the building’s roundabout.
“Me before I was forced to enter the Capitol,” she posted to Parler. “#stopthesteal #stormthecapitol #oathkeepers #ohiomilitia.”
Court documents from prosecutors against Watkins suggest the Oath Keepers spent months planning their attack on the Capitol.
A series of text messages obtained by prosecutors suggest that extensive plans could have been launched in November to storm Congress.
“It is our duty as Americans to fight, kill and die for our rights,” Watkins texted a contact on Nov. 17.
“We have to go underground if this coup works,” she texted a few days later.
Watkins also personally trained recruits to prepare them for the deadly siege, prosecutors said.