Suspect in White House shooting makes brief court appearance, remains jailed

Source: CNN

An Idaho man charged with trying to assassinate the president in a shooting incident outside the White House made his first court appearance in the nation's capital Monday for a brief hearing in which he was appointed a federal public defender but was not asked to enter a plea.

Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 21, is accused of firing shots at the White House 10 days ago, including some that hit the building near the residence area where President Barack Obama and his family live, according to a complaint document made public after Ortega, as he refers to himself, was arrested in western Pennsylvania last Wednesday.

Still with long hair and a beard as shown in photos released after authorities identified him as a suspect in the shooting, Ortega's legs were chained and he was kept handcuffed during the 15-minute hearing before Magistrate Judge Alan Kay. The judge ordered that Ortega remain jailed pending a preliminary mental competency examination in coming days -- as requested by prosecutors -- and the judge scheduled a preliminary hearing for next Monday in Washington.

Ortega was assigned a federal public defender, David Bos, who said the case should be dismissed because the criminal complaint issued last week does not contain probable cause. Bos said none of the witnesses mentioned in that document had identified his client .

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/21/justice/dc-white-house-suspect-hearing/index.html

to be alive. Counter-snipers are routinely stationed on the top of the White House.

On edit- if the President had been home and not in Cali at the time they wouldn't be having a trial now.