Woman Who Breached Mar-A-Lago Security Checkpoints Declared Competent To Stand Trial
PALM BEACH (CBSMiami/AP) - A woman who sped through security checkpoints at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort while she was being chased by law enforcement has been declared mentally competent to stand trial.
Court records show that Hannah Roemhild is responding to medication while being held at the Palm Beach County jail
Roemhild, 30, is charged with two state counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer after investigators say she refused to stop at security points forcing which forced security guards to open fire. Officials have said Roemhild was "obviously impaired" and they do not believe she targeted the president or Mar-a-Lago.
The chase began when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper working an off-duty security shift at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach approached Roemhild as she danced on the roof of her rented Jeep SUV in the high-end resort's parking lot. She jumped inside and refused to acknowledge his taps on the glass.
She then put the car in reverse. The trooper smashed the window and tried to grab the steering wheel to prevent her from leaving, but she sped away, leading him on a chase south down swanky Ocean Drive toward Mar-a-Lago, 3 miles away, at speeds in excess of 70 mph.
Authorities there say she swerved around concrete barriers and through two checkpoints, endangering the lives of Secret Service agents and Palm Beach County deputies staffing them. They opened fire, breaking out her back window. At this point, the trooper ended his pursuit, fearing lives would be endangered if it continued.
At some point, Roemheld picked up a female relative before automatic license plate readers soon tracked her to a motel near Palm Beach International Airport. A trooper tackled her as she tried to flee into her room.
No trial date has been set.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)