Trial for Collier County man accused in 2021 Capitol mob again delayed
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The trial for a Collier County man facing charges in the January 2021 riot in the U.S. Capitol is again delayed as it was ready to start.
It's at least the third delay in about two months in the trial for Christopher Worrell, 52, of East Naples, and a member of the Proud Boys.
The delay for the trial, which was slated to start Monday before U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, was announced Friday. It would tentatively start next week, court records indicate.
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Records show the delay comes as Worrell's attorneys have to provide the defendant's medical records.
Worrell's trial was first scheduled Nov. 15. Court records indicate the court postponed the trial nearly two months after Worrell argued he was medically unable to proceed.
In January, Lamberth wrote that Worrell didn't include medical documents and failed to respond to the government's proposed date with specific arguments that would declare him medically unable to stand trial.
The same day, the lead attorney in the case, Alex Reed Stavrou, of Tampa-based Alex R. Stavrou Law Office, filed a motion to withdraw from the case. Lamberth approved that motion.
Worrell is accused of attacking police officers with pepper spray gel during the Jan. 6 incident.
Federal agents took Worrell into custody in March 2021.
A video aired during the June 9 hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee, one of a number that have been aired, appeared to show Worrell and others accused of storming the building, attacking police officers, breaking building windows and wreaking other damage at the Capitol.
Worrell's segment in the House committee's 11-minute-and-18-second video ran about 10 to 12 seconds.
In the segment, a man identified as Worrell says, "We are on your side," "Don't make us go against you," and "These are our streets."
Worrell is a self-proclaimed member of The Proud Boys, a far-right, neo-fascist group that advocates for and participates in politically motivated violent events.
Worrell pleaded not guilty to all the original charges. He faces 19 charges, with those in original indictment including:
Civil disorder
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon,
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon,
Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon,
Act of physical violence in the capitol building or grounds, and
Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon.
At least 975 people were charged with federal crimes for their roles in the riot — 502 have pleaded guilty and 382 have been sentenced. Of those, at least 192 people have received prison sentences.
Worrell is among at least 111 Florida residents charged in connection with the mob.
The FBI continues to investigate hundreds of additional individuals. Two co-defendants have gone on the lam.
Worrell's girlfriend and court-approved custodian Trish Priller, who used to work for the Naples Daily News, said Worrell remains under a curfew while living at home.
Priller on Wednesday morning told the Daily News there's not yet a firm start date for the trial and referred further legal questions to Worrell's attorney.
The phone for lead attorney James Kelly was disconnected Wednesday morning and couldn't be reached for comment.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: East Naples man has trial delayed, again, in Jan. 6 Capitol riots