Pro-Trump Jan. 6 Rioter Who Threatened Federal Judge Arrested After Skipping Prison

A Capitol rioter from Texas who threatened the federal judge overseeing the case against President Donald Trump, now dismissed, over his alleged role in the Capitol attack, which took place on January 6, has been taken into custody after failing to report to prison on time.

Abigail Jo Shry was sentenced to 27 months in prison for threatening to kill a U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. Shry was supposed to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in Florida on February 17 to begin her sentence, but she failed to appear on the assigned date. This led a federal judge in Texas to issue a warrant in Shry’s name.

Shry is currently in custody at a federal facility in Texas. She was arrested in Houston, Texas, last week after the warrant was issued when she failed to report for her sentence. Details of the arrest have not been made public.

Shry’s attorney, Brandon G. Leonard, on February 16, a day before Shry was supposed to report to prison, asked the judge for an extension, which was denied. Leonard said in court that Shry, 45, had been in jail on an unrelated matter between January 8 and February 6.

According to CBS News, Shry was in prison during that period because she allegedly threatened two Texas state senators that there would be “war on the Texas Capitol” if State Attorney General Ken Paxton were impeached.

Leonard said the time Shry spent in jail “subsequently disrupted Ms. Shry’s ability to prepare for surrender and arrange her family affairs.” He added that Shry has elderly parents and that her father recently developed medical issues. “She requires additional time to assist with their care and to responsibly transmit her affairs before reporting to federal custody,” Leonard said in his appeal.

Shry requested that the judge grant her another 30 days before she reports to federal prison. The judge rejected the appeal and issued a warrant in her name after she failed to appear on February 17, the previously assigned date. After the arrest warrant was issued, Judge Ellison approved a request filed by Leonard to withdraw as Shry's attorney, stating that his representation in the matter had concluded.