Former Texas mayoral candidate arrested in connection with Capitol occupation

MIDLAND, Texas (KMID) – Former Midland, Texas mayoral candidate Jenny Cudd has been arrested in connection with protests and riots that occurred at the U.S. Capitol last week.

The US Attorney’s Office confirmed Cudd and another Midland resident, Eliel Rosa, were both taken into custody by the FBI Wednesday morning. Cudd was due to appear before a US Magistrate judge Wednesday afternoon.

The Associated Press says the number of people arrested in connection with the Capitol riots now exceeds 100. The findings resulted from a nationwide review of court records and announcements of arrests issued by law enforcement agencies, according to the AP.

Cudd, immediately following the protest, took to social media and claimed to have stormed the Capitol. However, she later backtracked from those previous claims.

“We did break down the, Nancy Pelosi’s office door and somebody stole her gavel and took picture sitting in the chair flipping off the camera, and that was on Fox News,” Cudd said in the original video posting.

In a statement obtained by Nexstar’s KMID, Cudd now says she did not storm the Capitol but walked through an open door and did not do anything violent. She went on to say that her original video was being taken out of context.

“I don’t regret anything that I did, because I know that I did not damage any property or hurt any people,” Cudd said in the statement.

Cudd is a known political figure in Midland, where she ran for mayor in 2019, according to Nexstar’s KMID. The Midland-Reporter-Telegram reports that Cudd received 16 percent of the vote in the November contest.