PBSO deputies ruled justified in firing shots at SUV near Mar-a-Lago before Trump arrival

WEST PALM BEACH — Two Palm Beach County deputies were justified in firing shots at a Connecticut woman who drove through security checkpoints near former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in January 2020, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office documents released this week.

An internal affairs investigation found that detective Christopher Farron and K-9 Lt. John Paul Harvey acted appropriately when they fired at a rented SUV driven by Hannah Roemhild while she drove through security barriers set up near Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 31, 2020. She was arrested on state and federal charges.

Trump, whose private club and residence was often called his winter White House while he was in office, was not at the property at the time. But he was expected to arrive later that day, which is why the protective barriers had been erected. Authorities said Roemhild probably did not know where she was headed.

Woman accused in security breach near Mar-a-Lago ordered to undergo mental health treatment

In January of 2022, Roemhild, now 34, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to state charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer, fleeing police and resisting arrest, according to court records. A judge accepted her plea and ordered that she continue to meet conditions previously imposed by a federal court. She was found "mentally defective" in August 2021 in a federal plea deal and was ordered by a judge into treatment.

She must meet with a therapist regularly and either stay on her medications or face psychiatric commitment.

Lawyers for Roemhild told the courts that the opera singer has long dealt with mental health issues and had not taken her medication at the time of the incident.

Investigators said Roemhild drove around barricades on the north end of the property near Ocean Drive and South County Road, ignoring orders from PBSO deputies to stop. With a Florida Highway Patrol trooper pursuing, Roemhild continued south on Ocean Drive passing multiple barricaded areas and a Secret Service checkpoint before stopping in front of an unmarked PBSO vehicle.

As she tried to maneuver around the car, a Secret Service agent and the two PBSO deputies blocked the road ahead. Roemhild accelerated and all three fired at the car. Roemhild kept driving after the Jeep was hit multiple times, according to the arrest report.

No one was injured.

Investigators said Roemhild then crossed the Southern Boulevard bridge just west of Trump's property and picked up her mother at Palm Beach International Airport. She was tracked to a nearby hotel where she was arrested that afternoon, deputies said.

The situation leading up to shots being fired began when an FHP trooper responded to a call at The Breakers resort north of Mar-a-Lago regarding a woman said to be acting irrationally and dancing on top of a Jeep SUV. The woman, later identified as Roemhild, got back into the vehicle and refused to speak to the trooper. She then sped off as the trooper followed her down South County Road before losing sight of the car.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Deputies justified in shooting at SUV near Trump's Mar-a-Lago in 2020