Secret Service: Man Claimed to Be Jesus and Plotted to Kidnap One of the Obamas’ Dogs

Secret Service agents arrested a North Dakota man at a DC hotel Wednesday, interrupting what authorities say was a plot to kidnap one of President Obama‘s two pet dogs. Scott Stockert had been staying at the Hampton Inn at 6th and K streets, Northwest, where he was found with a stockpile of guns and ammunition in his car, officials say.

Stockert was released to a high-intensity supervision program following a hearing Friday morning at which he was charged with a single felony count of carrying a dangerous weapon outside a home or business. (District gun laws prohibit most instances of carrying rifles or shotguns outside the home.) A grand jury will also be impaneled to further investigate Stockert’s alleged plot, which is full of bizarre details.

WRC reports that in addition to his alleged plans to steal a presidential pooch, Stockert also claimed to be Jesus Christ and the son of President John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, though his driver’s license read otherwise. He also told Secret Service agents he intended to run for president on a platform of $99-per-month healthcare.

Stockert also allegedly told the agents that they had “picked the wrong person to mess with.”

Secret Service agents in DC were tipped off to Stockert’s alleged plot by their colleagues in Minnesota. Stockert’s car contained a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a bolt-action rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a machete, and a billy club, WRC reports.

The Obamas have two Portuguese water dogs, Bo and Sunny. It is not clear if Stockert allegedly planned to steal one or both of them.

Benjamin Freed

Staff Writer

Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.