This picture of Rachel Powell wearing a mesh mask was included in the defense's most recent court filing. In this filing, Powell apologized to the judge and explained her reason for wearing the mask.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Tuesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.A Mercer County woman charged in connection with the Jan. 6 rioting at the U.S Capitol said her mesh mask was inspired by a pop singer and wasn't meant to mock a court order.A federal judge asked Rachel Marie Powell, of Sandy Lake, Mercer County, to explain why she was seen in a March 31 social media wearing a mesh mask with her nose and mouth visible. Powell is known nationally as the “pink hat lady” after federal investigators released wanted posters for Powell wearing a distinct pink hat.Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell said the video defied an order that she wear a mask as part of her pretrial release from jail after being charged with participating in the riot.Faced with going back to jail, Powell on Monday apologized to the judge in court filings and explained that her mask fashion was sparked by Lana Del Ray, a pop singer, and Powell's work policy forbidding mask use when dealing with customers.Powell was arrested by the FBI on Feb. 4 for her alleged connection with the Capitol riots. She was placed in Butler County Prison then released on house arrest Feb. 11.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Tuesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.