WASHINGTON — The National Security Council contractor arrested at a White House checkpoint was a fugitive who had evaded U.S. Marshals for weeks before he was taken into custody by U.S. Secret Service agents when he reported for work Tuesday.
Martese Edwards, 30, of Suitland, faces a charge of attempted murder and is expected to be transported to a Maryland courtroom after court records show he waived extradition in D.C. Superior Court.
Members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force had been looking for Edwards and had searched his apartment since the warrant for his arrest was filed May 17, Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Sharon Taylor told WTOP.
The still-sealed warrant, charging him with attempted first-degree murder, alleges Edwards shot and injured his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend last month, according to Prince George’s County police.
The Secret Service said it only learned of the outstanding warrant on Monday — the day before the arrest of the contractor, who worked in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building — due to an update from the sheriff’s department.
Tuesday evening, a Secret Service spokesperson released a statement, saying the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office’s entry lacked a “Universal Control Number or other personal identifiable information which would trigger an ‘alert’ to the Secret Service from the Criminal Justice Information.”
Taylor said the department updated the warrant on Monday to add more personal details about Edwards, including his Social Security number, that he has a tattoo on his right arm, that he might be armed and should be considered dangerous.
But she said those changes would not affect when and how the Secret Service learned of the warrant Monday.
It is unclear how often Edwards worked at the White House complex building, if he had been going to work regularly or if he attempted to go through a White House checkpoint at any other point since the warrant was issued.
Court records show Edwards has previously faced civil charges related to domestic violence in 2013, however they were dropped.
