Feds: Chesco man breached White House wall

A Chester County man could face prison after climbing over a White House wall, authorities said Tuesday.

Curtis Smith, 33, of Coatesville was arrested Sunday afternoon by the Secret Service after he allegedly climbed over a stone wall at a vehicle entry point and began walking across the grounds.

Smith told officers he had driven to the White House to deliver a message to the president, according to the charging papers. The papers did not say what the message was.

He was charged with unlawful entry, a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison and/or a $1,000 fine, said Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C.

Smith appeared in court in Washington Monday and was released until a March 25 hearing, under order to stay away from the White House complex, Miller said.

Smith's attorney, Martin Rosendorf, declined to comment.

Two other men also attempted to breach the White House grounds between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, the Secret Service said. The cases are not related, Miller said.

- Justine McDaniel