Malta town official Sharon Pineo resigns after storming Capitol steps

Sharon Pineo is helped up by police during a rally Wednesday at the Capitol in Washington. The rally ended with some pro-Trump extremists storming the Capitol building. John Minchillo/Associated Press

Sharon Pineo, a member of the Malta Town Zoning Board of Appeals, resigned her position Monday after pictures emerged of her being escorted by police off the steps of the U.S. Capitol last week when hordes of Trump supporters stormed the building.

Pineo, who has said she did not enter the Capitol or face criminal charges, was identified by numerous Capital Region media outlets on Sunday after pictures from last week’s riots at the Capitol showed her appearing to be detained by multiple officer.

“I tender this resignation with regret, but believe that in these challenging times, it is important to not all any impediment to the smooth operation of the town’s business,” Pineo wrote in a brief note to Malta Supervisor Darren O’Connor on Monday.

Pineo also issued a statement to a local radio station on Monday, saying that she planned to step down in the interest of peace but denied participating in any of the violence perpetrated by many in the rioting mob at the Capitol.

“I would like the public to know that I did not enter the (Capitol) building nor did I commit any violence,” she said in the statement. “(I) exercised on behalf of the people the freedom of speech.”