Secret Service arrest California man in latest White House fence jumping
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Version 0 of 1. The Secret Service on Monday identified the latest White House fence jumper as a 54-year-old California man. Authorities said Jerome R. Hunt of Hayward, Calif., climbed the White House fence at the south side of the complex around 10:25 p.m. on Sunday. Hunt was immediately taken into custody by officers in the uniformed division of the Secret Service, said agency spokesman Brian Leary. The south side of the complex faces the Washington Monument. Hunt, who will be charged with a violation of a D.C. unlawful entry code, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon in Superior Court. Hunt carried a package that was examined and found to be harmless, Leary said early Monday. The fence on the south side is similar to that on the north side, which faces Pennsylvania Avenue. Hunt’s possible motives where not immediately known. Security at the White House has been of particular concern since last year when a man climbed the fence on the north side, ran across the lawn and entered the White House itself. Proposals for increasing security have included plans to make the fence more difficult to scale. The present fence is about eight-feet tall. Martin Weil and Justin Wm. Moyer contributed to this report. |