New Jersey Man Charged In Second White House Intrusion Incident
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/CBS News/AP) -- The second person arrested in 24 hours for trespassing at the White House was a New Jersey resident.
Kevin Carr, 19, of Shamong, New Jersey, was accused by the Secret Service of trying to enter a barricaded entryway to the White House property around 4 p.m. Saturday.
Carr did not hit the barricades, and was arrested and charged with unlawful entry.
The suspect first approached one of the White House gates on foot, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said. He later showed up at another gate in a car and pulled into the vehicle screening area.
When the man refused to leave, he was placed under arrest.
CBS News correspondent Julianna Goldman reported that Donovan said Saturday's incident doesn't appear to be a copycat of an earlier intrusion Friday night.
Bomb technicians, fully suited, could be seen looking through a white four-door sedan with New Jersey plates and pulling out what appeared to be keys. Streets near the White House were temporarily closed as officers responded, but the White House was not locked down, CBS News reported.
There were no immediate details about why the man was trying to enter the White House. President Barack Obama, his wife and daughters were at Camp David, the presidential retreat where the first family was spending the weekend.
The arrest comes the day after a 42-year-old man identified as Omar J. Gonzalez of Copperas Cove, Texas, allegedly scaled the fence and sprinted across the North Lawn. He managed to get through the North Portico doors of the White House before agents were able to apprehend him, CBS News reported.
A charging document released Saturday revealed that Gonzalez was allegedly carrying a Spyderco VG-10 black folding knife in his right front packs pocket. The knife had a 3 1/2-inch serrated blade, authorities said.
Gonzalez was charged with unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds, while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. He could face 10 years in prison if convicted.
President Barack Obama said he has confidence in the Secret Service, as has U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
"The Secret Service is known as our best, so I generally have confidence," Schumer told CBS 2's Matt Kozar.
But Schumer said the agency has to prevent such a trespassing incident from happening again.
"What usually happens in a situation like this -- there are dogs, trained dogs all over the White House who can bring someone down if they scale the fence -- before they can get into the White House," Schumer said. What happened?"
The head of the Secret Service has stepped-up security outside the White House following the incidents.
Director Julia Pierson ordered enhanced officer patrols and surveillance along the North Fence of the compound just after the incident on Friday evening, which triggered a rare evacuation of the White House as well as renewed scrutiny about the agency's ability to protect the president and his family. The Secret Service said Pierson had also ordered a comprehensive review of the incident.
An agency spokesman said in a statement, "Every day the Secret Service is challenged to ensure security at the White House complex while still allowing public accessibility to a national historical site."
The Secret Service is already under scrutiny. Last year, a Connecticut woman was shot and killed after ramming her car into a White House barricade and leading authorities on a chase.
CBS News Correspondent Bill Plante has covered the White House for 33 years.
"No one has ever gotten this far in my memory, and maybe not ever," Plante said.
Officials said agents made a judgment call in the Friday incident and did not shoot Gonzalez, who appeared to be unarmed at the time even though it was found later that he had the knife.
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