A security breach at the Washington governor’s mansion on August 7, 2013 was more serious than first reported. Records obtained from the Washington State Patrol reveal the trespasser broke a window before he was arrested at gunpoint.
Security camera images tell the story. At 2:18 a.m. a man in a ball cap was seen climbing over a side gate. The spiky metal points on the top of the gate are no deterrent as he leaped over.
From there, the State Patrol report said the man circled the mansion banging on windows and doors. At the same time, two State Patrol cadets were finishing a sweep of the property. As the trespasser came around to their location he called to them. They put him at gunpoint and handcuffed him.
According to the police report, the man was under the influence of drugs and believed he was being chased. Neither Governor Jay Inslee nor First Lady Trudi Inslee was home that night and there’s no indication the man intended them any harm.
The next day, the mansion coordinator discovered a broken window in the front sitting room. A governor’s spokesman called the incident “disturbing on many levels,” but added the State Patrol “does a great job protecting the family.”
Since that incident it appears the gate has been upgraded to make it harder to scale.
