Nothing about driving in our nation's capital is easy. Endless traffic, hilariously low speed limits, people who drive like it's the first time they've ever done it and confusing diagonal streets make Washington D.C. a motorist's nightmare. You might even get arrested for accidentally wandering onto the White House grounds.
That's what happened to one poor "absent-minded" fellow on Tuesday when he followed the motorcade carrying President Obama's daughters into a secure area near the White House, the Washington Post reports.
Not surprisingly, the man – 55-year-old IRS employee Mathew Goldstein — was then pulled out of his Honda Civic and arrested. Ouch.
Goldstein told authorities he wasn't thinking and mistakenly made a left turn that put him within a few feet of the motorcade. He then somehow then got through two rows of metal security bollards at the checkpoint at 17th Street, the Post reports.
An officer stopped Goldstein at Jackson Place NW and Pennsylvania Avenue. After he was arrested the White House was then locked down for an hour.
The bigger question here, of course, is "How the hell did this happen?" And the answer, the Secret Service says, is "We're still investigating." I'll bet at least a few people are polishing up their resumes at the moment.
Meanwhile, Goldstein has been charged with misdemeanor unlawful entry. Come on, President Obama! Can't we let the charges slide here? Goldstein sounds like an ordinary, hardworking guy who screwed up on accident and didn't hurt anyone. It's not his fault driving in D.C. sucks for everyone!
Photo credit AP