--- description: The woman arrested Friday after driving into the metal barricade outside the White House had previous encounters with the Secret Service title: Woman Who Drove Into White House Barrier Had Similar Arrests image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee16a33aa968c277/698928cf7cdbacc7e9d5c15c/woman-drove-into-white-house-barrier.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Crime](/tag/crime/) ## Crime Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Armed Woman Who Drove Into White House Barrier Had Previous Encounters With the Secret Service by [Lisa Marie Segarra](/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) ## Lisa Marie Segarra Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 24, 2018 7:00 PM CUT  A member of a bomb squad inspects a vehicle that crashed into a barricade on the perimeter of the White House grounds February 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. A female driver was apprehended immediately after the incident by the uniformed division of the United States Secret Service. A member of a bomb squad inspects a vehicle that crashed into a barricade on the perimeter of the White House grounds February 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. A female driver was apprehended immediately after the incident by the uniformed division of the United States Secret Service.Photo by Win McNamee—Getty Images by [Lisa Marie Segarra](/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) ## Lisa Marie Segarra Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 24, 2018 7:00 PM CUT A woman who was arrested Friday after [driving into the metal barricade outside the White House](http://time.com/5173558/white-house-lockdown-car-hits-security-barrier/ "undefined") with a gun in her possession had previous encounters with the [Secret Service](http://time.com/5165680/secret-service-denies-scuffle-nuclear-football-china/ "undefined"). The Secret Service said that Jessica R. Ford, 35, of Tennessee, was arrested after she “intentionally drove” an SUV or white van into the barrier around the White House with a gun in her hand at about 3 p.m. Friday, [according to the Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/vehicle-strikes-white-house-barrier-in-downtown-washington/2018/02/23/8f43ec56-18d8-11e8-b681-2d4d462a1921%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.2783a08fb769 "undefined"). It was a New York tourist that reported seeing the driver allegedly “hit the gas,” noting that “her tires were spinning and smoking,” according to the report. However, the vehicle never got past the security post, and no shots were fired and no one was injured in the incident,[ the Chicago _Tribune_ reported](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-vehicle-strikes-white-house-barrier-20180223-story.html "undefined"). > [](https://twitter.com/SecretService/status/967204505568890880) Records show Ford was arrested three times last year for trying to enter the premises, according to the _Tribune,_ andthe Secret Service said they “had previous encounters” with the woman. Ford received [psychiatric counseling](http://time.com/5165221/gun-control-law-states-florida-shooting/ "undefined") and a 90-day suspended jail sentence in relation to the charges, one of which was dismissed, according to the report. Ford last attempted to climb the fence around the White House, for which she pleaded guilty to unlawful entry, according to the _Tribune._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5174191/white-house-barricade-woman-arrested/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5174191/white-house-barricade-woman-arrested/"},"headline":"Armed Woman Who Drove Into White House Barrier Had Previous Encounters With the Secret Service","datePublished":"2018-02-24T19:00:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T19:25:42.166Z","description":"The Secret Service said they \"had previous encounters\" with the woman.","url":"https://time.com/5174191/white-house-barricade-woman-arrested/","keywords":["Crime","onetime","onetimecrime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee16a33aa968c277/698928cf7cdbacc7e9d5c15c/woman-drove-into-white-house-barrier.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lisa Marie Segarra","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/lisa-marie-segarra/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee16a33aa968c277/698928cf7cdbacc7e9d5c15c/woman-drove-into-white-house-barrier.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Vehicle Driven Into Security Barrier Near White House","caption":"Vehicle Driven Into Security Barrier Near White House","creditText":"Photo by Win McNamee—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/crime/","name":"Crime"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5174191/white-house-barricade-woman-arrested/","name":"Armed Woman Who Drove Into White House Barrier Had Previous Encounters With the Secret Service"}}]}] ```