A South Carolina woman who breached security at the White House five times since 2016 was released from a Washington, D.C., jail after a federal judge set her free.
Alicia Keppler is required to return to South Carolina and may not visit Washington, D.C., for a year after a judge ruled that she served an appropriate amount of jail time. Additionally, she must undergo interviews with U.S. Secret Service for the next 12 months.
Keppler confessed to multiple security breaches where she intruded on White House property, including the past two Independence Day holidays.
Additionally, she bypassed a bicycle security barrier in March 2016.
“During that incident, Keppler claimed she lived at the White House,” the court filings said. “Items in her backpack included a bus ticket, a revoked South Carolina concealed weapons permit, a spiral notebook with letters written to an individual named ‘James,’ and the Gettysburg Address. The writings in the notebook did not indicate a motive for the White House penetrations, however, near the end of the writings Keppler mentioned visiting the White House and thoughts of suicide.”
Prosecutors noted Keppler committed a serious crime and the major response from law enforcement threatened the safety of agents and nearby tourists. Prosecutors and defense attorneys also said Keppler has a drug addiction.
“Given the defendant’s long history of erratic behavior and her seeming obsession with gaining access to the White House, the government believes that the defendant would benefit from comprehensive mental health services,” prosecutors said in their court filings.
At least 22 other people have been prosecuted for breaching security at the White House or the U.S. Capitol since 2014, according to a report from NBC4 Washington.
