A mom and her teenage daughter from Connecticut were just arrested for their role in the January 6 attack against the US Capitol.
Jean Lavin, 56, and Carla Krzywicki, 19, are originally from the town of Canterbury. They were two of the many who showed up at the demonstration to cause havoc days before Joe Biden, the 46th US president, was officially sworn in.
The two appeared to try to enter the Capitol using a bike rack as a ladder. Once they made their way inside the building, Carla started taking photographs inside and posting them on social media. They have since been wiped from her accounts.
According to HuffPost, one of the captions read, "This is history."
"We do not go burning down your city and stealing from your business," her post continued. "We come for the government officials that are ruining our country. We go straight to the source. Change needs to happen. That is our house and you work for us."
The pair were interviewed by FBI agents in June and seemed to soften their story — likely knowing at that point that what they did was criminal and that their actual freedom could be on the line. At that time, Jean stated that the only reason they went into the building was for curiosity's sake. Carla openly admitted that she did post on Facebook while inside.
According to official documents, Carla noted that she had "posted a picture on Facebook, but later deleted it because it seemed like a bad idea to leave it up." It's yet another reminder that the internet is forever — especially when you're in the midst of trying to take down the government. Currently, they have no attorneys listed to represent them.
Carla and Jean were among the well over 600 estimated people to have been there that day. As time progresses, more people continue to be caught. Luckily, many posted their whereabouts on social media that day, making the hunt fairly easy. Federal authorities still have an ear out for those who attended, meaning that those who have yet to be discovered likely will be soon.
Carla and Jean had an easy out, if they had wanted. Aside from not attending the disastrous event at all, they said on record that the bus driver got lost on their way to the Capitol. Because of this, they ended up missing the speech that the single-term former president made.
As documents state, "LAVIN stated she and KRZYWICKI travelled to Washington, D.C. on January 6 on a bus from Norwich, Connecticut. LAVIN stated the bus driver got lost in New York City and they did not arrive to Washington, D.C. until after President Trump's speech. Once in Washington, D.C., she and her daughter followed the crowd of people towards the Capitol building."
"LAVIN stated she and her daughter entered the Capitol building through an unknown doorway," the documents continued. "LAVIN stated the doorway was green and the door and window glass of the door were already damaged." It seems as if the pair are trying to look like innocent bystanders.
But it seems as if the two knew what they were doing all along. Illegally entering a government building isn't something someone does on a whim. And having a sign prepared the night before shows they came to the event from out of state with a message to share. It seems this teenager made a big mistake she might not be able to recover from.
The pair also made sure to say on record that they didn't stay for a long time — but entering altogether was the true crime. In total, they've been charged with the following: entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building; and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
The documents also state that Carla noted that "at one point, while inside the Capitol, her mother fell and that was when they both decided to leave the area." It wasn't about the guilt of knowing they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, trespassing. Jean and Carla will have to live with the true consequences of their actions. And hopefully, they both learn why such an act was a disgrace.
