Hertford woman facing charges tied to Jan. 6, 2021, attack assigned federal public defender

A Hertford woman facing four criminal charges tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol is being represented by a federal public defender.

Sandra Lee Hodges has been assigned legal representation by Diana Pereira, an assistant federal defender with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, in Raleigh, according to federal court documents.

Pereira said Friday she had no comment regarding Hodges’ case.

Hodges, 61, of the 100 block of Nanthala Court West, Hertford, was arrested Thursday, Feb. 1, by FBI agents at her home in Albemarle Plantation and charged with four federal offenses tied to the events of Jan. 6, 2021. That day, supporters of former President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol in hopes of disrupting a joint session of Congress from certifying the Electoral College votes for the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden.

Hodges made her first appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui on Tuesday, Feb. 13. The hearing was conducted online via video teleconference. She has waived her right to a preliminary hearing and her next court appearance, also scheduled to be held online, is April 11.

Hodges was released on personal recognizance under several conditions, including that she submit to supervision by Pretrial Services of the EDNC, surrender her passport, “stay away” from Washington D.C. except for the purpose of court-related matters, and she not possess a firearm, according to court documents.

A criminal complaint unsealed Feb. 1 in federal court provides details of the federal investigation into Hodges and her subsequent arrest.

Hodges was identified by police after a key card belonging to the high-end Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington D.C. was discovered Jan. 9, 2021, during a cleanup of the Capitol grounds. The U.S. Capitol Police investigated the card and discovered it was connected to a room that Hodges reserved under her nickname “Sandy” for the period of Jan. 5-7, 2021.

Investigators believe Hodges dropped the card on the West Plaza of the Capitol during the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021.

Hodges was arrested after a warrant was issued on Jan. 26 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She is charged with one federal count each of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, picketing and demonstrating in a Capitol building.

Hodges registered as a Republican in July 2018 and lists the Nanthala Court location in Albemarle Plantation as her address, according to N.C. State Board of Elections records. She is also a registered nurse with an active license issued April 26, 2011, by the Florida Department of Health. The license is set to expire in July.