According to a criminal complaint from the FBI, local couple Karen and Robert Jones have been charged and arrested for their involvement in the January 6th Capitol riots.
Karen Jones currently serves as an elected official in Santa Ynez.
According to an arrest warrant from December 14, both Karen and Robert Jones were charged with counts of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol building and restricted grounds, as well as parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
The FBI’s complaint also included images of the couple in which they could be seen advancing past barriers toward the US Capitol building alongside a crowd of other demonstrators.
Additional closed-circuit surveillance footage obtained by the FBI allegedly shows them entering the Capitol together at around 3 p.m. on January 6, 2021.
The complaint, accompanied by more photos of Karen Jones, alleges she also participated in an open mic session on the east steps of the Capitol building, speaking over a loudspeaker about being pepper sprayed by police and traveling to Washington, D.C. from Los Angeles.
In the warrant, FBI officials say they confirmed the identities of the local couple through cell phone data, as well as airline records that showed them flying to D.C. from Los Angeles on January 5.
According to KSBY’s reporting in 2020, Karen Jones is a two-time Santa Barbara County supervisor candidate, though she was never elected.
She also is a board member and vice president of the Santa Ynez Community Services District.
We reached out to both the District as well as Karen and Robert Jones’ attorney for comment on the situation but they declined.
