RALEIGH, N.C. — A visit to a salon, Kohl's, and a local Buffalo Wild Wings do not constitute reasons to revoke the at-home detention status of accused Capitol rioter Matthew Beddingfield, a federal judge said during a hearing on Thursday morning.
Appearing via video teleconference, Beddingfield, 21, and his lawyer argued he and his mother, who accompanied him on the above "work-related" errands were not aware they violated the terms of his pretrial release until after they completed the trips.
During the hearing, Beddingfield's supervising officer Scott Plaster told Judge Carl Nichols he granted Beddingfield permission to perform the errands in a four-hour time frame. Plaster said he believed the trips were in the purview of the conditions of Beddingfield's pretrial release.
"In one view, this is a misunderstanding and maybe we just need to be more clear," Nichols said.
Federal prosecutor Sean Murphy argued the government never wanted to allow Beddingfield out of jail while he waited for his trial, and that the errands violated the terms of his release "in the simplest terms."
Murphy also pointed out Beddingfield's past behavior of being released from jail on a previous criminal charge. In 2019, Beddingfield was charged with attempted murder regarding a shooting at a North Carolina Walmart. In Jan. 2020, he was released on bond.
Beddingfield was out on bond for that attempted murder charge, Murphy argued, when he attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Therefore, according to Murphy, any violation of his pretrial release should be taken seriously.
"It's just too similar to not ask for revocation," Murphy said.
Judge Nichols agreed with Murphy's point, saying "the government is quite right" to be concerned with Beddingfield's decision to run errands, including visiting a local restaurant.
But, Nichols pointed out, Beddingfield did not act on his own: his mother accompanied him and he first asked for permission from the local supervising officer.
For those reasons, Nichols said he would allow Beddingfield to continue his at-home detention program. Nichols advised supervising officer Plaster to think carefully before approving future requests from Beddingfield.
"This needs to be a pretty tight home detention, except for the work," said Nichols.
As part of the conditions of his pretrial release, Beddingfield is only permitted to go to and from work. He lives with his grandfather, the primary custodian, and is not allowed to access social media or the internet.