White House Intruder to Appear in Court - East Idaho News
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White House Intruder to Appear in Court

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GETTY 92214 WhiteHouseFence?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1411404328718iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Omar Gonzalez, the man accused of scaling a security fence and getting into the White House with a knife last week, is scheduled for an appearance in Federal Court Monday.

Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Texas, is facing charges of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon.

The Army says Gonzalez served from 1997 until his discharge in 2003, and again from 2005 to December 2012, when he retired due to disability.

In the wake of the incident Friday night, the Secret Service stepped up its security procedures at the White House complex.

Secret Service Director Julia Pierson ordered an immediate increase in “officer patrols and surveillance capabilities along the Pennsylvania Avenue fence line” of the White House complex, the Secret Service said Saturday.

In addition, The New York Times reports Monday that “The Secret Service is considering screening tourists and other visitors at checkpoints before they enter the public areas in front of the White House…As part of the screening, the Secret Service would establish several checkpoints a few blocks from the White House, the officials said. The screening would likely be limited to bag checks and not include measures taken at airports by the Transportation Security Administration, which include metal detectors and body scans.”


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