A 44-year-old man has been charged with attempting to smuggle a machete and other knives into the U.S. Capitol on the same day President-elect Donald Trump visited to pay his respects to late former President Jimmy Carter. The man, identified as Mel J. Horne, faces multiple charges of carrying a dangerous weapon after trying to enter the Capitol Visitor Center with a machete, two folding knives, and a box cutter.
Court documents reveal that Horne had made several anti-Trump posts on social media, referring to the president-elect and Elon Musk as derogatory terms. Despite the charges, Horne was released just days before Inauguration Day.
Capitol police discovered the weapons during a routine screening process, where Horne claimed the bladed items were landscaping tools. However, he admitted to not being on his way to or from a landscaping job, stating that he carries these items everywhere due to being homeless.
Horne's mother had previously raised concerns about his drug use and mental health, leading to a civil complaint requesting his removal from their home and mandatory mental health treatment. The case was dismissed without prejudice, with Horne agreeing to stay away from his parents' property for a year.
Another individual, Adrian Hinton, was also arrested on the same day for allegedly attempting to set a vehicle on fire near the Grant Memorial.
Despite Horne's prior criminal record, specific details were not immediately available. Court records indicate misdemeanor charges in 2004 and a previous jail term in 2019, with limited information provided by the Department of Corrections.
While Horne awaits trial, a D.C. Superior Court judge granted him conditional release. The terms of his release were not publicly disclosed at the time of reporting.
