Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-MO) wife Erin has filed a criminal complaint in in Fairfax County, Virginia, against an organizer of a protest which occurred outside their Virginia residence last month.
ABC News reports:
The individual has been charged with a misdemeanor count of illegally demonstrating, but not charged with making threats or vandalism, as the Missouri senator initially alleged. A local magistrate found enough “probable cause” to issue a summons in the case, according to a police spokesman.
In an interview with ABC News, the activist, Patrick Young, claimed he was unaware of the criminal complaint.
“If a summons has been issued, it is outrageous that a rich and powerful person — a United States senator — can go to their magistrate to get a summons to harass a normal person,” Young said.
On January 4, police were sent to Hawley’s home in Vienna, a D.C. suburb, at 7:45 p.m. upon receiving a call stating that “people protesting in front of the house.” The protesters had gathered outside the Hawley’s home due to the senator’s opposition to certifying the 2020 presidential election in favor of now-president Joe Biden.
Master Police Officer Juan Vazquez said the protesters had been violating several laws, including a Virginia code about picketing in front of a house, a town ordinance about making noise in front of a home and a littering code. But he said the officers explained the violations and “everyone just left.”
“There were no issues, no arrests,” he said. “We didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”
Hawley accused the group of threatening his family.
“Tonight while I was in Missouri, Antifa scumbags came to our place in DC and threatened my wife and newborn daughter, who can’t travel,” Hawley wrote on Twitter. “They screamed threats, vandalized, and tried to pound open our door. Let me be clear: My family & I will not be intimidated by leftwing violence.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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