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New White House fence-jumper makes first court appearance
Dominic Adesanya, who became on Wednesday the second man to jump the White House fence in recent weeks, appeared agitated in his court appearance Thursday.
An evening view of the White House October 15, 2014 in Washington, D.C.AFP/Getty Images
By
Benjamin Landy
Dominic Adesanya, the 23-year-old Maryland man who officials say jumped the White House fence Wednesday night, appeared agitated in his first court appearance Thursday. He had two visible bandages on his left arm, repeatedly interrupted to ask questions, and had to be physically removed from the courtroom at the end of the proceedings, NBC News reports.
Adesanya has been charged with multiple counts of felony assault, resisting arrest, unlawful entry and making threats. His defense asked for a preliminary psychiatric screening, which was granted by the judge over the prosecutor’s objection. His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 27.
Secret Service officials say Adesanya scaled the north fence of the White House at 7:16 p.m., and made it as far as 20-25 yards before he was tackled by officers and dogs. He was immediately taken into custody on the North Lawn.
Although Adesanya was unarmed at the time of his arrest, two Secret Service dogs — “Hurricane” and “Jordan” — were taken to a veterinarian Wednesday night for bruising injuries sustained during the incident. Both dogs were cleared to return to duty. Adesanya sustained dog bites on his arms, back, chest, and knee.
Adesanya is the second man to jump the White House fence in recent weeks. The first man, 42-year-old Omar Gonzalez, allegedly was carrying a knife and ran all the way across the front lawn on Sept. 19, past security guards, through an unlocked door and nearly into the Green Room of the White House before he was tackled. The incident became a national scandal for the Secret Service, resulting in the resignation of the agency’s director, Julie Pierson, on Oct. 1.
Gonzalez has pleaded not guilty to charges for unlawfully entering a restricted building, unlawful possession of ammunition and carrying a deadly weapon. Authorities found hundreds of rounds of ammunition in Gonzalez’s car shortly after his arrest, in addition to two hatchets and a machete. President Obama and his family were not home at the time of the incident.
On Tuesday, a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. ordered a complete mental health evaluation for Gonzalez, an Army veteran who reportedly has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. A previous exam found him not competent to stand trial, leading both the prosecution and defense to agree to further testing at a federal prison hospital.
Gonzalez is next scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 3. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) October 23, 2014
