A man with a White House pass was arrested outside the presidential home on a charge of attempted murder — reportedly weeks after the warrant was issued.
Martese Maurice Edwards, 29, had been working as a contractor for the National Security Council in the Old Executive Office Building. According to NBC News, he had a White House pass.
According to a Secret Service statement, the Suitland, Maryland, man was arrested when he reported for work Tuesday, one day after the Service learned of the warrant.
“On June 5, 2018, Edwards was promptly arrested by Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers at a checkpoint outside of the White House complex when he was reporting to work as a contractor. Edwards was transported to MPD Second District for processing,” a Secret Service spokesperson told The Washington Times.
Mr. Edwards is accused of first-degree attempted murder.
While details on that charge were not made public by the White House, there was no immediate indication that Mr. Edwards is suspected of trying to kill someone at the White House, or that the charge is directly related to politics or his job.
But according to NBC News reporter Geoff Bennett, there was a several-week lag between the warrant for Mr. Edwards’ arrest and the Secret Service learning about it.
“Secret Service says it learned of the arrest warrant when it was entered into the national Criminal Justice Information System on June 4. But 2 law enforcement officials say warrant was issued in mid-May, raising questions about why Maryland authorities didn’t enter it earlier,” he wrote on Twitter.
Secret Service says it learned of the arrest warrant when it was entered into the national Criminal Justice Information System on June 4. But 2 law enforcement officials say warrant was issued in mid-May, raising questions about why Maryland authorities didn’t enter it earlier
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) June 5, 2018
• Dave Boyer contributed to this article.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.