U.S. Capitol riot suspect from Salisbury has court date moved. All to know.
A court date has been moved for a Maryland man facing charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, including “obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder,” court documents state.
The joint request filed last week in federal district court shows that both parties in the case, United States of America v. Carlos Ayala, continue to participate in plea negotiations.
“The parties are still engaged in plea negotiations and the government requires additional time to compile and turn over initial discovery,” the document said. “To provide the parties additional time to complete and review discovery, and negotiate a plea, they respectfully request that the Court continue the preliminary hearing to a later date.”
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No new date is confirmed and provided in the filing for the case, which was scheduled to be heard on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. at the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Thursday, March 14, or Friday, March 15, along with dates during the following week (starting March 18), are suggested in the joint motion as potential preliminary hearing dates for Ayala.
The document states: “because the defendant is on release, any continuance will not impact his liberty.” Ayala, of Salisbury, Maryland, was arrested last month on five violations, including civil disorder (a felony) and related misdemeanor offenses. Conditions for release were agreed to on Jan. 9, 2024, around the time of the arrest.
No new court date posted yet for Carlos Ayala
Ayala, a former Perdue executive, had been a member of both the Maryland State Board of Elections and a police oversight board in Wicomico County prior to resigning from both posts in the days after his arrest.
Citing court documents, a news release last month from U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said: “Ayala is seen on video footage climbing over police barricades and making his way to the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol as rioters overran the police lines.”
Ayala, who according to court documents wore a “Stop the Steal” button on his sweatshirt at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is one of over 1,000 individuals charged with crimes related to the capitol breach, according to the U.S. Department of Justice release.
Former President Donald Trump, who had also been scheduled in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on charges relating to an effort to subvert the 2020 election, had a March 4, 2024 trial date. That date was removed from the court’s calendar too last week as a separate adjudication concerning him continues.
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As for United States of America v. Carlos Ayala: “A new date has not yet been posted,” said the Special Assistant to the Chief Judge of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in a Feb. 5 email. Lawyers in the case did not respond to inquiries before the time of filing.
Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Court date moved for Salisbury suspect in Jan. 6 Capitol riot
