Who Is Omar González? White House Intruder Identified

The suspect who jumped over a White House fence carrying a knife was identified as Omar J. González, 42, from Copperas Cove, Texas, who had previously been caught menacing the First Family’s home. The intruder was called “a threat to the President” at a hearing on Monday and is being held without bail until October 1. Gonzáez is being accused of scaling the White House perimeter fence and bolting across the lawn in intent to enter the Presidential house before federal agents stopped him. Prosecutors say he could face up to ten years in jail on top of paying a large sum fine.

It was evident that after the incident, Mr. González’s defense would pledge mental illness with PTSD (Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder) due to serving at war in Iraq on two occasions, but after his arrest on Friday, authorities searched González’s car (which he had allegedly been living in) and found 800 rounds of ammunition, as well as two hatchets and a machete, which will surely not help his case.

Despite being his ex wife, Samantha Murphy Bell says the Iraq veteran is not a bad person but has been traumatized by a terrible incident he witnessed during his service in the war and needs mental health treatment, not jail. Bell spoke to Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR in a telephone interview on Monday where she said Gonzalez “did not go to the White House to hurt Obama.”

At Monday’s hearing it was also stated that the intruder had already been detained outside the White House with weapons at least two other times in the past three months putting Secret Services in an even dimmer light. According to the affidavit from when he was being detained, Omar González kept saying, "the atmosphere was collapsing and needed to get the information to the president of the United States so that he could get the word out to the people."