President Barack Obama runs down the East Colonnade with family dog, Bo, on the dog's initial visit to the White House, March 15, 2009. (photo credit: White House/Pete Souza)
A heavily armed man claiming to be Jesus allegedly plotted to kidnap one of the Obama family’s dogs and has been arrested, US media and officials said.
Scott Stockert, 49, was arrested at a Washington hotel Wednesday after Secret Service agents found unregistered firearms in his truck, together with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a machete and a club, NBC Washington said, citing authorities in the US capital.
Agents went to the hotel after getting a “be on the lookout” alert from the Secret Service’s Minnesota field office about the alleged kidnapping plan, NBC said.
It quoted the Secret Service as saying that Stockert, from North Dakota, allegedly planned to take Bo, one of the two Portuguese water dogs owned by President Barack Obama and the first family.
Scott Stockert (Courtesy)
Court documents show that Stockert was released on Friday to a “high-intensity supervision program” and ordered not to possess any firearms or other dangerous weapons, either real or imitation.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
He was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and ordered to stay away from the White House and the Capitol.
As well as claiming to be Jesus, Stockert told agents that his parents were John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, NBC said, citing court papers.
Advertisement
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
