Pastor Defends Armed Woman Arrested In Front of White House

The White House in Washington, D.C. | (Photo: Reuters/Yuri Gripas)

 An armed woman was arrested outside of the White House Thursday evening, shortly after President Barack Obama made a speech regarding immigration.

April Lenhart, a 23-year-old from Mt. Morris, Michigan, was partaking in a protest in front of the White House lawn when Secret Service investigators spotted a holstered pistol on her hip. Lenhart was arrested and charged with carrying a pistol without a license, as well as carrying an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition.

"Secret Service noticed she had a gun in a holster attached to her hip," Charlie Langton, a legal analyst for the WWJ network, said. "She was taken in for questioning and arrested when it was found out that she did not have a license to carry that firearm."

Following the woman's arrest, a pastor from her church in Michigan told a local media outlet that Lenhart is a "wonderful young lady."

"All I can say is that at church, she's a wonderful young lady," Larry Survance, pastor of Eagle's Nest Church in Mt. Morris, where Lenhart attends church, told Michigan Live.

The pastor went on to say that he is "totally baffled by the whole situation," adding that "[the Lenhart] family pretty much sticks together."

"They are a close-knit family," the pastor said.

Lenhart was reportedly protesting President Barack Obama's new immigration plan that was revealed to the public Thursday in a nationally televised speech. During his 15-minute address, the president stated that the White House has the power to draft a new immigration plan, challenging the Republican-led Congress to reverse his actions.