Pittsburgh Woman Turns Herself In To FBI For Alleged Role In Capitol Riot
By: KDKA-TV's Shelley Bortz and Jennifer Borrasso
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A Shaler mother of three is the latest to face charges in connection with the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol last year.
Melanie Archer turned herself in to the FBI and had her initial hearing in U.S. District Court late Monday afternoon.
Archer sat with her attorney while the judge read the conditions for her release.
She agreed to those conditions and is now free on bond.
Neighbors on her quiet street in Shaler said Archer is a kind and caring woman.
"She's very thoughtful and generous, so from that perspective, I don't think she's a bad person," said a neighbor who didn't want to be identified.
But, at least one neighbor also said, "I'm not surprised she was at the riots."
Investigators said Archer was caught on surveillance cameras inside the Capitol on January 6.
They said she could be seen wearing all black, carrying a multi-colored drawstring bag and a white, knitted winter hat.
A neighbor said others in the neighborhood are likely in shock at the news.
"They would probably say they can't believe it only, because I know her a little bit more than others," the neighbor said.
Archer is now facing four federal charges for her alleged role in breaching the Capitol.
She ended up on the FBI's radar not long after the attack when the agency received several tips from people she told that she was inside the Capitol and also from her social media posts stating she was there.
Investigators said she was eventually identified through those pictures.
Archer is charged with entering or remaining in a restricted building and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, among other related charges.
WATCH: Jennifer Borrasso reports
Archer is the second local person charged in three days. Jordan Bonenberger, who was charged on Friday, declined comment to KDKA's Jennifer Borrasso on Monday.
The FBI says there are photos of the two together inside the Capitol Rotunda and the West Corridor.
It is unclear how they know each other, but the FBI said Bonenberger and Archer traveled to the Capitol together.
