California man charged after trying to jump White House fence
WASHINGTON -- Jerome Hunt of Sacramento, California, was charged with unlawful entry after he was arrested for trying to climb the White House fence Sunday evening.
Hunt, 54, appeared in Washington, D.C. Superior Court Monday afternoon. Unlawful entry is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
The judge released him under certain conditions, including a requirement that he get a mental health assessment -- a requirement for previous attempted fence-jumpers. He will also be subjected to GPS monitoring. He has an additional court apperance scheduled for May 12 at 9:30 a.m.
Hunt told reporters he scaled the fence on Sunday, his 54th birthday, and carried a toothbrush in his green bag. He told reporters that the president needs to be protected from people.
The Secret Service has suffered a series of security lapses, including an incident last Sept. 19 in which authorities said a man with a knife jumped a fence and ran inside the executive mansion, looking for the president.
Sunday's incident was the 16th time someone had jumped the fence in the past five years, according to the Secret Service.
Just last week the National Park Service and Secret Service announced plans to install temporary half-inch steel spikes atop the White House fence in an effort to reduce breaches of the White House security perimeter.
National Park Service documents describe the spikes as "pencil points" which will attach to the existing fence and serve as a "removable anti-climb" mechanism.
In a statement, the National Parks Service said, "The interim solution enhances security without affecting the visitor's experience. A timeline for installation is not yet available, but we are working expeditiously on this improvement."
CBS News Associate Elizabeth Hinson and CBS News Producer Paula Reid contributed to this report.