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The Washington Post reports that a man jumped the White House fence on Thanksgiving Day draped in an American Flag. The first family was inside during the lawn invasion. Just what made this man follow through with a suicide mention? Apparently, he was actually trying to complete a successful suicide according to court documents that were unsealed on Friday. Upon his capture, authorities learned that he had indeed left a suicide note with his friends in Virginia, where he had been staying.
The suspect, Joseph Anthony Caputo, 23, has been ordered by D.C. Superior Court Judge Errol R. Arthur to complete an emergency psychiatric evaluation at St. Elizabeths Hospital. Caputo will be charged with making an illegal entry to restricted grounds. The maximum penalty for this charge is only one year in prison. What makes the situation interesting is that after crossing the White House Lawn, he laid face down and surrendered according to the charging documents filed by the Secret Service. Perhaps he was too scared to complete his suicide mission.
President Obama and his family were inside celebrating Thanksgiving when the incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. Earlier this year, new" pencil-point" spikes were added to the White House perimeter to deter intruders but Caputo still managed to get across them. No response has been given from the Secret Service to answer questions regarding this incident.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) has made it her mission to confront the Secret Service about the brief on the security breach and a timetable on a "permanent fix to the White House fence." Norton notes that this incident, "shows that the current fence fix does not work." She wants the White House protected but not closed off from viewing. "The Secret Service will concede that they lack the professionalism to maintain the security of the White House without blocking the American people."
