Authorities Make Arrest Linked to Noem’s Stolen Purse

Investigators have arrested an individual accused of being concerned within the theft of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse at an upscale Washington hamburger restaurant final weekend, the Secret Service stated Sunday.

Matt McCool, a particular agent on the Secret Service, stated in an announcement that the suspect didn’t appear to have focused Ms. Noem due to her place. He didn’t launch the suspect’s identify, however he described the individual as “a serial offender” who had tried to make use of Ms. Noem’s bank card and achieve entry to her digital gadgets.

Ms. Noem’s purse was snatched from beneath her chair on April 20, Easter Sunday, as she dined along with her household at The Capital Burger in downtown Washington. The bag contained the secretary’s driver’s license, treatment, house keys, clean checks, division badge, passport and $3,000 in money.

Ms. Noem’s spokeswoman beforehand stated that the thief had hooked the secretary’s bag along with his foot, dragged it throughout the ground and put a coat over it earlier than leaving the restaurant. Though a number of Secret Service brokers had been accompanying Ms. Noem, they had been greater than 20 ft away from her on the time to offer her privateness to take pleasure in a meal along with her household.

In a social media put up concerning the arrest, Ms. Noem described the suspect as a “profession legal” and a international nationwide who had entered america illegally. The Secret Service didn’t verify Ms. Noem’s allegation however directed the inquiries to federal prosecutors assigned to the case. Ed Martin, the interim U.S. lawyer in Washington, stated the suspect had entered america illegally and that regulation enforcement officers had been searching for extra individuals linked to the theft.

Mr. McCool, the Secret Service agent, stated in an announcement that 5 regulation enforcement businesses, together with Washington’s Metropolitan Police Division and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, had been concerned within the investigation.

The theft was the most recent episode that raised questions concerning the Secret Service, which has been below intense scrutiny since Donald J. Trump was the goal of two assassination makes an attempt final 12 months as a presidential candidate.