Secret Service arrests man near White House

The Secret Service arrested an Iowa man Wednesday afternoon outside the White House, after a search of his car revealed a hunting rifle, over 40 rounds of ammunitions and a six-inch knife, an official said.

R.J. Kapheim, a 41-year-old man from Davenport, Iowa, approached a uniform division officer of the Secret Service a block away from the White House and told him that someone in Iowa had told him to go to the White House, agency spokeswoman Nicole Mainor said.

{mosads}His erratic behavior prompted a search of his 2013 Volkswagen Passat, which was parked on Constitution Avenue between 15th and 16th streets NW. Inside the car, which had Iowa tags, officers said they discovered a 30-30 lever-action rifle, along with the knife and ammunition.

Kapheim has been charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and might face additional criminal charges. He was turned over to the Metropolitan Police Department for processing.

The Secret Service has come under fire of late for a series of high-profile breaches of White House security.

“Without question, the agency has been severely damaged in recent years by failures,” Acting Director Joseph Clancy told a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee earlier Wednesday.

Clancy told lawmakers that the agency was considering raising the fences around the White House compound, among other steps, as part of a review of the agency undertaken after the resignation of former Director Julia Pierson last month.