Fence jumper calm day after courtroom outburst

BEN NUCKOLS
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after his outburst in a federal courtroom, a man accused of scaling the White House fence stood calmly before a judge on Tuesday as a hearing on previous charges was postponed.

Dominic Adesanya, 23, of Bel Air, Maryland, is charged with two federal offenses after Secret Service agents and their dogs caught him on the White House lawn last week. He was the second person to climb over the White House fence in the span of about a month, leading to questions about security at the executive mansion and the competence of the Secret Service.

Adesanya’s appearance Tuesday in D.C. Superior Court was related to a previous unlawful-entry charge at the White House on July 27 and an alleged assault on four police officers who confronted him as he tried to enter the U.S. Treasury building July 30. He had failed to appear in court to answer those charges last month, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The hearing on those charges was postponed until Dec. 23 so Adesanya can undergo a psychiatric screening. On Monday, he screamed for help after the screening was ordered, and marshals forcibly removed him from a federal courtroom. But on Tuesday, he stood calmly before Judge Truman Morrison, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, handcuffs and shackles, and he cooperated with marshals. There were no outbursts, although at one point he volunteered that he did not have a lawyer. He was represented by a court-appointed attorney.

Morrison set bond at $500 and said he would hold a bond-review hearing if Adesanya’s no-bond status is revoked in federal court.

Adesanya’s father has said his son believes he is under constant surveillance and has refused help for his mental-health problems.

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Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APBenNuckols.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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