Photo by Darwyn
Under several conditions, a federal district court judge in Washington D.C. has released Jonathan Tuan Tran—a California man who jumped a White House fence on Friday night with two cans of mace and a letter for President Donald Trump that referenced “Russian Hackers.”
Tran appeared in U.S. District Court on Monday for charges of entering or remaining in restricted grounds while using or carrying a dangerous weapon, which carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison.
The judge ordered that Tran be monitored by a GPS device, stay away from D.C. unless he’s attending court proceedings or meeting with his lawyer, live with his family in Milpitas, California, and undergo a mental health evaluation, among other things, according to Jelahn Stewart, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.
Tran made his first court appearance on Saturday in the Superior Court of the D.C. where a judge ordered that he be held without bond.
In response to Tran’s arrest, President Trump said that the “Secret Service did a fantastic job,” according to the Associated Press. Trump, who was inside of the White House during the security breach, went on to describe Tran as a “troubled person” and said the situation was “very sad.”
According to a court document, a secret service agent spotted Tran walking inside of the complex toward the White House around 11:30 p.m. on Friday. He was close to the exterior wall of the mansion, approaching the South Portico Entrance. The agent said that after Tran saw him, he “altered course and began walking to the South Lawn of the White House.” He then asked Tran for identification and reason for being on the property.
Tran responded, “I am a friend of the president. I have an appointment,” according to the court document. He then told the agent that he got to his location after jumping the fence. Officials reviewed footage that shows Tran jumping a fence near the Treasury Building, according to the court document, which states that at one point, Tran tried to hide behind a White House pillar before moving to the South Portico Entrance.
After the conversation, the officer put Tran under arrest. While searching his belongings, authorities found two cans of Mace, a Macbook, a U.S. passport, a book written by Trump, and a letter that he’d written to the president, according the court document. The letter mentions “Russian Hackers” and said Train had “information of relevance.” He also said that he’s been followed, third parties had read his phone and emails communications, and he’s “been called schizophrenic.”
While President Barack Obama and other leaders before him have contended with several White House fence jumpers, this is the first known case since Trump took office in January. Last month, long-awaited plans for a new fence cleared a final hurdle. It’ll be about four feet taller than the current structure, and topped with “pencil point” anti-climb fixtures.
Tran’s brother told CNN that his sibling was “troubled” after being laid off from his job at an electrical engineering company, and he’d been “living in his car and eating junk food.” Tran will appear in court again on April 13.
