Back in May, 58-year-old Jennifer Hernandez was arrested after multiple attempts to enter CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. As Hernandez awaited a trial for her trespassing charges, she showed up at the D.C. home of former President Barack Obama, despite a court order blocking her from any government-related facilities.
Let’s rewind. On April 22, Hernandez showed up at CIA headquarters. She drove through the main vehicle entrance and then entered the main building, The Military Times reported. She was, of course, stopped by a CIA police officer. She claimed she was in the building to meet with a recruiter for her employment application. Her story was quickly debunked, and she was asked to leave, which she did.
On May 1, Hernandez returned. She again said she needed to speak with her recruiter and was again told to leave, this time with a handwritten warning. On May 2, Hernandez appeared at the agency again and again claimed she needed to speak with her recruiter, saying his phone had been turned off so she could only contact him in person. Police interviewed Hernandez at that time, and yet again asked her to leave.
Undeterred, Hernandez showed up the next day, on May 3. Her North Carolina ID had not been returned to her the previous day. On this day, Hernandez asked to speak with “Agent Penis,” her alleged recruiter. She was given her ID card back and said she would take the bus home. She refused to get on the bus, allegedly telling police officers, “do you really think I’m going to leave?” She was arrested and charged with a trespassing misdemeanor.
WTOP now reports that Hernandez was released prior to her trial and visited the D.C. home of Obama. U.S. District Court Judge John Anderson has been trying to find a way to resolve Hernandez’s case without jail time.
“You have to meet people halfway,” Anderson reportedly said while trying to convince Hernandez to get mental health treatment to avoid a criminal prosecution.
“We’re trying to help you, not punish you,” Anderson said, adding that “The restraint the government is showing is unusual and appreciated.” The government had not objected to Hernandez being released before trial.
Anderson also told Hernandez that the court wanted to get her “to a safer place and get you the help you need.”
Whitney Minter, Hernandez’s federal public defender, told reporters that she was working with prosecutors and probation officials to avoid a trial, and was considering having Hernandez plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
Hernandez reportedly told the court that one of her family members had been trying to kill her for the past 22 years and mentioned other alleged threats. She said she would never go back to Obama’s home.
“Tell me what to do, and I will abide by the law.”
Anderson told her: “You shouldn’t be going to places like the CIA and the Obamas’ house. You have to fight the callings, and you just can’t go back there.”
Anderson also said he wanted “to get this resolved in a nonjudicial way.”