An armed man was spotted at Asheville, North Carolina airport parking lot just after Air Force One departed Sunday. When confronted by a police officer he wanted to see the president.
Joseph Sean McVey, 23, of Coshocton, Ohio, is charged with "going armed in terror of the public", a misdemeanor, said Asheville Regional Airport Police Capt. Kevan Smith.Security was heightened at the airport because President Barack Obama was leaving after spending the weekend vacationing in Asheville. He was headed to a memorial service for 29 West Virginia coal miners killed in an explosion.
At about 2 p.m., airport police saw McVey get out of a maroon car with Ohio plates and that he had a sidearm, a Springfield XD 40 handgun. Both airport police and the Secret Service questioned him and he was taken into custody.
The suspect was nowhere near the president's plane, which had just departed, and was in a rental car return lot that is open to the public.
His car was equipped with clear LED law enforcement-style strobe lights in the front and rear dash, Smith said. The car also had a mounted digital camera in the front window, four large antennas on the trunk lid, and under the steering wheel was a working siren box. Smith said McVey was not in law enforcement.
When McVey got out of the car, he was listening to a handheld scanner and radio that had a remote earpiece, Smith said. Police said he was monitoring local agencies and had formulas for rifle scopes on a note in his cup holder.
McVey gave authorities an Ohio driver's license, but a computer check failed to show the number was valid, police said.
When Officer Kaleb Rice asked him what he was doing, McVey told him he heard the president was in town and wanted to see him.
Max Henkel, a resident who was at the airport to see Obama's departure, told the newspaper,
They searched him and it looked like he had an empty pistol holster on his side, and I think I heard one of the officers say he had had a gun. When I realized what was going on, I was flabbergasted.Investigators have yet to determine whether he was attempting to target the President.
Yes! there must have been many other possibilities which would occur to a reasonable person as to McVey's intended business with the President.
I feel compelled to point out the following observation: At the very end of a video clip taken from a FOX News Channel broadcast on March 30, Fox anchor Hannity can be clearly heard telling his audience,
ReplyDelete"Can I add one thing. I think we won the debate. When you think of the vast majorities they have in Congress, and they had the bribe back room deals, corruption. That's because of the Tea Party movement, all these Tim McVeigh wannabes."
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Yeah. Indeed. There are undoubtedly "...many other possibilities...". Yeah. NOT.
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt this Junior Terrorist, would be assassin had evil intentions. Fortunately he was caught. My fear is about what's in the weeds, and I can promise you there are a lot more crazy critters in the weeds.
ReplyDeleteWith Hannity and his ilk saying that this helps the Teabaggers' causes, it will certainly add fuel to the revolutionary Repuglickers' fire.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Mr. Hannity feels the same way about the Tea Partiers as George W. Bush did about the religious right - praise them and use them up front, but, yes, then make fun of them behind their backs.
ReplyDeleteDamn Harry Potter looking rightwing nutcase.
ReplyDeleteI guess I am naive but whaqt is a formula for a rifle scope? the gun craze and carrying them in public worries me.
ReplyDeleteI was talking to one of my brothers that lives in Kingman and said he agreed and one of our brothers is a fine example of why there should not be a law allowing concealment.
Not in this environment with crazies like my brother on the loose.
Thank you for asking the question about a formula for a rifle scope, Ave-Patriot. I'm not as bold as you are to ask such an obvious question. I don't have the foggiest. And thanks about disclosing that your misgivings about open carry have to do with a sibling. Sometime, when the two of us are having a quiet beer or two, I will tell you a personal story that touches on this theme.
ReplyDeleteBB-ROLF~! Some scary shit is popping up. A LOT OF IT. Rifle scope? Oh this is scary. Will makes a good point about Hannity and his ilk, they are really pushing the edge... but then again, there was no repercussions for O'Reilly when the Doctor was murdered...was there?
ReplyDeleteInfotainment and yellow journalism. They are still drawing the largest crowd of viewers, too.
What the hell is the criteria for carrying in the open? God smack?
gee.