WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Attorneys in the case of a Bruceville-Eddy man charged in connection to the January 6 Capitol riot have renewed discussions about a plea agreement, according to court records filed Thursday.
Christopher Grider is charged with three felonies and six misdemeanors for his alleged role in the riot. If convicted he faces up to 40 years in prison.
Grider was offered a plea deal back in June, but rejected it. He claims he went to Washington D.C. on Jan. 6 with no intention of rioting, but he said he got caught up in the mob of angry supporters of President Donald Trump.
Due to the renewed plea discussions, the deadlines for future hearings were extended, according to the court records.
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said the next motions would be due Aug. 29 with any opposition due on Sept. 5. Replies to the opposition are due Sept. 12.
A status hearing was also scheduled for Aug. 25. Kollar-Kotelly set Nov. 2 as the deadline for plea discussions to end.
According to a criminal complaint, Grider was seen in several areas of the Capitol on Jan. 6 before arriving at the Speaker's Lobby where a woman named Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot.
He was also seen holding a black helmet and later handing it to another person who used it to break the glass windows of the doors leading to the House chambers, according to the complaint. Video showed him trying to push open the doors and then kick them.
Grider owns the Kissing Tree Vineyards in Bruceville-Eddy. He's out of jail but must wear an ankle monitor.