Court Documents: Connecticut Man Who Jumped White House Fence Left Suicide Note
STAMFORD, CONN. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Connecticut man accused of jumping the White House fence while draped in an American flag left a suicide note with friends and a will with his mother, telling her she may never see him again, according to court documents.
Joseph Caputo, 22, of Stamford, Connecticut, was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation on Friday, a day after authorities said he scaled the fence while President Barack Obama was celebrating Thanksgiving with his family, prompting a lockdown.
Stamford Police Chief John Fontneau said he was not expecting a phone call from the Secret Service when he returned home from his Thanksgiving celebrations.
"And the Secret Service wanted to take a ride up and they were going to go and do a search warrant on his house," Fontneau told WCBS 880's Stephanie Colombini.
Fontneau said Caputo had a gun permit in Connecticut.
"Which, of course, we revoked," he said, but added that Caputo likely didn't have a criminal record.
"Otherwise he would not have that gun permit, but I have to confirm," Fontneau said.
Caputo is charged with one count of illegal entry onto restricted grounds, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison. He did not enter a plea during his brief appearance in District of Columbia Superior Court on Friday afternoon.
A judge released him to the custody of the Secret Service for the sake of an emergency psychiatric evaluation. He is scheduled to appear in federal court on Monday.
According to court documents, Caputo had been staying with two friends in Virginia this week, and the friends provided the Secret Service with a note in which Caputo stated his intention to die on Thursday.
According to the documents, the note read, in part, "Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around us who transform into the Force,'' in an apparent reference to the mythology of the "Star Wars'' movies.
Caputo ran toward the White House after he scaled the fence, but when Secret Service officers ordered him to stop and get on the ground, he quickly complied, according to the documents. He told the officers, "I love my country'' and "I knew I would be locked up,'' the documents state.
Caputo's mother provided the Secret Service with a "last will and testament'' her son had written and played an audio message in which he tells her something will happen and she may not see him again, the documents state.
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