MT MORRIS TWP, MI – A Mt Morris Township woman who was arrested, in dc.MT. MORRIS TWP, MI – A Mt. Morris Township woman who was arrested with a gun outside the White House on Thursday had recently purchased a firearm and taken a class on how to use it, friends and family members say. April Lenhart, 23, was arrested about 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20, after Secret Service personnel observed a holstered handgun -- a purple and silver 9-mm pistol -- on her front hip, agency spokesman Robert K. Hoback said. She was found with a magazine with six rounds in the outside pocket of her jacket and officers also found seven loose bullets in the inside pocket of her coat, according to documents filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. The Secret Service said Lenhart was demonstrating along the north fence line of the White House complex when plainclothes agents spotted her gun -- shortly after President Barack Obama finished a national address about the U.S. immigration system. Hoback said he had no information about whether Lenhart was demonstrating for or against immigration reform. I can confirm we were at her house today. Hoback said. All I can say is its an ongoing investigation. Lenhart was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm, possession of unregistered ammunition and carrying a pistol without a license. Lenhart could face up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines if convicted of the felony charge of carrying a pistol without a license, said a spokesman with the U.S. Attorneys Office. She made her first court appearance Friday afternoon in Superior Court in Washington, D.C., and was ordered held pending a hearing set for Monday morning, according to Bill Miller, a spokesman with the U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington D.C. She has been assigned an attorney, he said. Hobacks email says Lenhart made no statements after her arrest. But Tina Manore of Flint said Lenhart, her best friend, would never have brought the gun with the intent of harming anyone. I think that she was just there for the rally (and) she forgot to leave her gun, said Manore, 25, a friend of Lenhart since the two were in their early teens. If you live in Flint, you want to have a gun ... She always had it with her. She never goes without it. Lenharts brother, David DeBois, said he knew his sister owned a gun and that she went out to Washington, D.C., with a friend. I have no idea why she was out there, he said. I was totally thrown off guard. He said he spoke to Lenhart within the past week. I even spoke with the Secret Service and told them I have no idea, DeBois said. Its a total shocker. I dont know why she went out there. Neither Manore nor Andrea Murray, a cousin of Lenhart, said they knew that Lenhart was in Washington, D.C., and Murray said she wasnt aware of the arrest until she was told of it by a Flint Journal reporter. She’s very religious, Murray said. The only thing she speaks out about is Jesus and that she’s passionate about him. Manore and her cousin said Lenhart had gone to school to be a flight attendant and most recently worked as a secretary for an auto repair business in northern Genesee County. She had also worked at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, they said. According to a list of Genesee County marriage licenses in Flint Journal files, Lenhart was married in 2010. Her maiden name is April DeBois. She was divorced in Wichita, Kansas in 2012, according to records filed in Sedgwick County District Court. Her brother said she kept the name Lenhart. Manore said she saw Lenhart on Tuesday, Nov. 18, but she didnt mention a trip to Washington. Manore said Lenhart said that her mother, who is from Thailand, was returning from Thailand later this month. She said it was not unusual for Lenhart to make a spur of the moment trip and to participate in something she believed strongly in, potentially forgetting about the gun she had grown used to carrying in recent months. Pastors at Eagles Nest Church on East Mt. Morris Road also said they dont believe Lenhart intended anyone harm. “All I can say is that at church, she’s a wonderful young lady,” said the Rev. Larry Survance, pastor of Eagle’s Nest. Survance said Lenhart and her family, which he described as close-knit, have been regular parishioners at Eagles Nest for several years. “The family pretty much sticks together,” he said. Survance said he saw news reports this morning about Lenhart’s arrest but has not yet been in contact with her family. “I’m totally baffled by the whole situation,” he said. Murray, who said she last spoke with Lenhart about a month ago, said she wasnt sure why her cousin went to Washington but really dont think she has anything against immigration. Murray said Lenhart had attended a concealed pistol license course, but didn’t know if Lenhart had a CPL license.MT MORRIS TWP, MI – A Mt Morris Township woman who was arrested Some youtu.be/3eLosBYkmYs,https://youtube/watch?v=QlzV1zJtgB4
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 21:25:10 +0000
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