Woman who broke through security near Mar-a-Lago has history of mental illness, attorney says
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The 30-year-old opera singer whose vehicle was riddled with bullet holes after she broke through two checkpoints near Mar-a-Lago has a long history of mental illness, her attorney said.
Hannah Roemhild – the Connecticut woman who breached two U.S. Secret Service checkpoints near President Donald Trump’s residence in Palm Beach on Friday – has a “well-documented history of mental illness,” according to her attorney, David Roth.
“Unfortunately, she is suffering from severe mental illness,” said Roth, who declined to identify the illness and how long she has been ill. “It’s a very sad, unfortunate situation,” Roth said.
Roemhild is scheduled to receive mental health help and will be evaluated by court psychological workers, Roth said.
Mar-a-Lago chase, security breach:Opera singer refuses to appear in court
The 6-mile police chase started at about 11:30 a.m. Friday at The Breakers, a resort hotel about 2.5 miles north of Mar-a-Lago. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper responded to a call about a woman acting “irrationally” and “doing some kind of dance” on top of a car, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
Roemhild got into her rented Jeep and refused the trooper’s attempt to speak with her. He banged on the window to no avail before smashing it in an attempt to stop Roemhild, the sheriff said.
Roemhild sped off and the trooper followed her before losing sight of her south of The Breakers. She bypassed one checkpoint, then another one-third of a mile south before navigating through a slalom course of concrete barriers as law enforcement officers opened fire on her Jeep.
The 6-mile chase ended at a West Palm Beach hotel when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper tackled her to the ground, Bradshaw said.
The president and his family were not at Mar-a-Lago at the time.
Most of the windows in Roemhild’s rental car were shot out and a single bullet hole pierced the middle of the windshield. Neither Roemhild nor any law enforcement officers were injured during the chase.
Roth said Roemhild’s family wished to thank the officers and agencies involved in the incident for “being incredibly professional and considerate of her mental health status.” Roemhild is being “appropriately treated,” at the Palm Beach County Detention Center and is expected to attend a court hearing on Monday after declining to appear in court on Saturday, Roth said.
“I don’t anticipate we’ll be asking for any bond but we will be working diligently to address her mental situation.”
Roemhild, who refers to herself as “Hannah Sopranah,” has performed at opera companies in her home state of Connecticut and as far away as San Diego.
Although the woman’s Facebook page has some postings critical of the president, authorities have said there’s no immediate indication Roemhild had any idea she’d broached Mar-a-Lago.
She comes from a military family and has no criminal history, Roth said.
Follow reporter Christine Stapleton on Twitter: @StapletonPBP
Trump:Deletes tweet after congratulating Kansas, not Missouri, for Chiefs' Super Bowl win
China built a hospital in 10 days to battle coronavirus:These 19 photos show how it got done
