WASHINGTON — Kristal Rios Esquivel’s troubles with the federal government began when she walked through a door marked “staff only” and set off an alarm at the National Zoo’s Bird House last Wednesday.
She was arrested by zoo police for unlawful entry and handcuffed. In an altercation with the cops, she spat at two officers and kicked one, “making physical contact with his leg,” a criminal complaint alleges.
Rios Esquivel, who has been ordered to undergo drug counseling as a condition of release, now faces up to eight years in prison if found guilty of a federal crime.
The felony charge of “assaulting,” “resisting” or “impeding” a federal agent in the course of their duties has become a popular one during President Donald Trump’s takeover of policing in Washington, D.C., which began Aug. 11. The government has filed such cases against at least 17 people over the past two and a half weeks, according to a review of D.C. court records.
In Rios Esquivel’s case, it was normal for federal police officers to be patrolling the zoo. But other cases stemmed from what appeared to be routine arrest scuffles with local cops — they only became federal cases due to agents from the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies being enlisted in city policing as part of Trump’s crackdown. Under the statute, defendants can face up to 20 years in prison under enhanced penalties.
