Actions

Prosecutors drop mask-wearing charge filed after gun rally

Posted
and last updated

RICHMOND, Va. -- Prosecutors have dropped a felony charge filed against a woman who was cited for wearing a mask in public following a gun rights rally at the Virginia Capitol last month, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch

News outlets report 21-year-old Mikaela E. Beschler was arrested an hour after the Jan. 20 rally when Richmond police asked her to remove a bandanna covering her face.

Her attorney says the mask-wearing charge was dismissed Wednesday after the state acknowledged it would be difficult to prove she had criminal intent to conceal her identity.

A prior Virginia case allows an exception under weather conditions, and news outlets said it was freezing the day thousands of gun-rights activists rallied.

CBS6-News-at-4pm-and-Jennifer-Hudson-480x360.jpg

Entertainment

Watch 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' weekdays at 3 p.m. on CBS 6!

📱 Download CBS 6 News App
The app features breaking news alerts, live video, weather radar, traffic incidents, closings and delays and more.