Security license suspended for Thomasville woman charged in Capitol riot
Thomasville NC Feb 25 2021
The Thomasville woman who was charged in a federal conspiracy case following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot had her private security license suspended Monday, according to the North Carolina Private Protective Services.
Laura Steele, 52, was one of nine people associated with the Oath Keepers charged in a federal conspiracy case in relation to the Capitol riots. The Oath Keepers is an extremist organization made up of former law enforcement and military veterans.
Steele is a former law enforcement officer who most recently worked at Novant Health as a security guard. Her armed security guard registration was suspended on Monday, said Paul Sherwin, director of North Carolina Private Protective Services.
A spokesperson for Novant Health said the company doesn’t comment on personnel matters and can’t speak to any legal investigation.
Steele formerly worked as a High Point police officer from 1992-2004. In 2001, the department cleared her for two incidents in which she pepper-sprayed students while working as a school resource officer, the Greensboro News and Record reported. The students involved were a 16-year-old at Southwest High School and an 11-year-old girl attending Southwest Middle School, according to the News and Record.
Public records show she was suspended without pay for two days in July 2004 for “violation of professional behavior and conduct toward the public policies.” In August 2004, Steele was terminated for “conduct toward superior personnel, absence from duty and violation of communications policy,” according to the records.
Her husband, Kenneth Steele, served as assistant police chief until his retirement in January 2021, according to a Facebook post by the police department.
Laura Steele is seen here standing in front of the Capitol with a group of people involved with Oath Keepers, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said Steele wore “military-style attire” and “breached the U.S. Capitol, directly or indirectly damaged property of the Capitol and obstructed Congressional proceedings.”
She attended the Capitol riot with her brother, Graydon Young, 54, of Florida, according to court documents. Young was among those charged last week along with Steele.
Court documents say Steele had just applied to join the Oath Keepers on Jan. 3, three days before the attack on the Capitol. In the application, Steele wrote that she served in law enforcement in North Carolina for 13 years as a K-9 officer and SWAT team member and that she currently works in private security, the court documents note.
Steele was charged with aiding and abetting, conspiracy, destruction of government property, obstruction of an official proceeding, and restricted building or grounds access.
She was scheduled to appear in court at 10 a.m. on Feb. 23 in Durham. The Dispatch reached out to the prosecutor and is waiting to hear about the results of that hearing.
