White House intruder identified as veteran
The man who was accused of scaling the fence and entering the White House Friday was identified as Omar Gonzalez, 42, a veteran from Iraq, the Associated Press reported. He was awarded a medal for his service but retired due to disability.
The Texas native served from 1997 to 2003 and again from 2005 to 2012. The military will not release information about Gonzalez's disability, due to privacy concerns.
Gonzalez entered the White House with a knife, which his former stepson, Jerry Murphy, said he always carries with him. He said Gonzalez owns "plenty of firepower" that he could have brought with him and argued that Gonzalez had no intention to harm anyone.
Gonzalez is expected to face charges of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon in federal court Monday.
Firemen under investigation for campaigning on city time
Four Charleston firemen are subject to a personnel investigation for their role in a television advertisement for U.S. Senate candidate Thomas Ravenel, The State reported.
The men dressed in their uniforms, gave a thumbs up in the advertisement, while they posed in front of a red fire engine, which violates the city's rule against employees campaigning on city time.
Ravenel is an independent candidate running against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic state Sen. Brad Hutto.
The firemen under investigation are Capt. Robert Fulmer, Engineer David Chappell, Firefighter William Finley and Firefighter Grey Mumpower.
Armed robbery of CVS under investigation
Columbia police are searching for a suspect in an armed robbery at the Harden Street CVS on Saturday night shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday, WIS reported.
The suspect, after entering the store, held a handgun at several employees and at least one customer.
The pharmacy area was locked and closed for business, so the suspect demanded over-the-counter pain medicine and money.
One employee gave him money, which was when the suspect to flee on foot. There were no injuries resulting from this incident.
The suspect is described as a white man with a black or dark brown mustache. He was last seen wearing a dark shirt, blue jeans, a blue handkerchief around his neck and sunglasses.