White House Intruder May Have Mental Problems
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Omar Gonzalez, the Army veteran accused of scaling the White House security fence, is in federal court Monday, facing charges of unlawfully entering a restricted area with a weapon.
Gonzalez was carrying a knife Friday when he jumped the fence and dashed across the lawn into the White House.
The 42-year-old Texas man served 13 years in the Army but is now homeless in Washington, D.C.
According to the criminal complaint, he might have mental problems.
Gonzalez told Secret Service agents after the arrest that he was "concerned that the atmosphere was collapsing" and needed to contact the president "so he could get word out to the people."
"Although last night the officers showed tremendous restraint and discipline in dealing with this subject, the location of Gonzalez's arrest is not acceptable," the Secret Service said in a statement Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Secret Service is beefing up the security around the White House. Secret Service Director Julia Pierson has launched an investigation into what went wrong with the incident so it doesn't happen again.
"Unfortunately, they are failing to do their job. These are good men and women, but the Secret Service leadership has a lot of questions to answer," Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah said.
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