Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 46
- Location
- Celina, Ohio
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Entering and Remaining on the Floor of Congress; Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds and in any of the Capitol Buildings; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in any of the Capitol Buildings; Failure to Appear
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
Shawndale Chilcoat came under investigation after the FBI received “numerous” tips about her and her husband Donald’s involvement on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the bureau. Court documents state that tipsters said Chilcoat posted messages, videos and photos on Facebook, including: “OK so antifa is being blamed for breaking windows and storming congress. Um no, it was us I was with them and couldn't be more proud. Please stop giving them credit and realize trumps side has crazies too and they should stew on that for awhile." Investigators compared Chilcoat’s Ohio driver’s license photo to surveillance footage from the U.S. Capitol, and say she can be seen in the footage wearing jeans, a black jacket and a navy beanie with white and red stitching. According to court documents, the FBI served a search warrant to Facebook and found a video of Chilcoat that she sent eleven times to other people, in which she says: “I'm right at the top of the congress . . . we're going to show them how they need to vote today.” Chilcoat and her husband were both arrested in August of 2022.
Case History
Chilcoat pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Jury trial set for 5/5/2025. On 2/3/2025, the court grants the government’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice.
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.