A North Texas woman was arrested on Dec. 7, 2023, on both felony and misdemeanor charges, which include assaulting law enforcement, in connection with the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Dana Jean Bell, a 65-year-old resident of Princeton, Texas, faces charges outlined in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia. The felony charges include assaulting, resisting, or impeding specific officers and obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder. Bell is also charged with several misdemeanor offenses, such as knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, engaging in disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in the Capitol grounds or buildings and participating in parading, demonstrating, or picketing within a Capitol building.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, video material and corroborating evidence identified Bell within a group of rioters in the restricted area of the Capitol grounds and within the Capitol building on Jan. 6. She was observed with a rose-colored folio-style cellphone cover featuring an American flag backdrop and images of Donald Trump.
Bell was also shown allegedly assaulting a member of the local media. During the incident, a group of rioters verbally attacked the media, labeling them as "traitors" and using profanities. In the video, Bell can be seen advancing, reaching out and attempting to push or grab the media representative. Bell allegedly assaulted a second media member who intervened. She then redirected her focus to the initial media representative, kicking the reporter in the front lower legs.
She successfully entered the Capitol around 2:26 p.m., shortly after the initial breach of the Rotunda doors. A video showed Bell celebrating her entry. Another video showed Bell approaching officers, shouting and displaying an obscene gesture. She then seized an officer's baton with her right hand, actively resisting and pushing against the officer while verbally confronting them. She exited the Capitol at approximately 2:56 p.m. after spending about thirty minutes inside.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, along with the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section, is prosecuting this case with support from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
The FBI's Dallas and Washington Field Offices, identifying Bell as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #318, are leading the investigation, with significant assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Since Jan. 6, 2021, over 1,230 individuals have been charged across nearly all 50 states for offenses related to the U.S. Capitol breach, including more than 440 individuals facing felony charges for assaulting or obstructing law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
