An Ashland doctor was sentenced to nine months in federal prison on Thursday for her role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when she punched a police officer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia.
Jacquelyn Starer, 71, pleaded guilty to an eight-count indictment in April that charged her with two felony counts of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. She also pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor charges, including act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves’ office said in a statement.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Starter to two years of supervised release and ordered her to pay $4,000 in restitution and fines.
Read more: US Capitol insurrection: Tip led to Massachusetts doctor’s arrest
On Jan. 6, 2021, Starer traveled from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C. to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally, when a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to “ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election,” according to the statement.
After the rally, Starer “made her way” to the Capitol building and entered through the East Rotunda around 2:50 p.m., federal prosecutors said.
She later made her way into the Rotunda, where Metropolitan Police Department and United States Capitol police officers had formed a line to protect its west entrance. The officers were attempting to protect the entrance from a crowd of rioters near former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, according to Graves’ office.
Then, at around 3 p.m., Starer “moved through the crowd” and to the front of the police line. She approached police, pushed up against another rioter, and pointed in the direction of police, according to Levy’s statement.
She then grabbed the arm of the rioter and pushed it down. Starer then turned to face the other rioter and was pushed back by police, at which point she hit the officer with a closed fist, Levy’s office said.
She then moved away from police before stepping towards them again, “moving her hands toward the police” and yelling obscenities, Levy’s office said.
Starer was arrested in Ashland on Dec. 20, 2022. She had been listed as a Be on the Lookout by investigators based on photographs captured during the riot.
During the sentencing hearing, Starer told U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly that she isn’t proud of her actions that day, including her “regrettable encounter” with the officer.
“I accept full responsibility for my actions that day, and I truly wish reason had prevailed over my emotions,” she said.
Starer also turned to apologize to the officer whom she assaulted. The officer, identified only by her initials in court filings, told the judge she feared for her life as she and other officers fought for hours to defend the Capitol from the mob of Donald Trump supporters.
“Do you really take responsibility for your actions or are you just going to say: ‘It wasn’t my fault. Fight or flight’?” the officer asked Starer before she addressed the court.
Online licensing records indicate that Starer agreed in January 2023 not to practice medicine in Massachusetts. The state issued her a medical license in 1983.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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Publish date : 2024-09-05 23:41:00
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