Man previously arrested at Supreme Court shooed away again as police find ‘concerning’ messages

Episode is third time man’s presence has caused concern around US Capitol

An apparent repeat offender known for parking illegally near the US Supreme Court was back again on Thursday, prompting a US Capitol Police investigation.

The agency confirmed in a news release that Dale Paul Melvin, a 55-year-old from Michigan, was shooed away from the grounds of the nation’s highest court where he had parked illegally and remained inside his vehicle.

Mr Melvin’s involvement in the incident on Thursday comes as he was arrested for allegedly committing two criminal offenses related to a similar incident that occurred last year; he was accused by law enforcement of failure to obey a police officer and assaulting a police office in October, but never charged with the offenses.

“After Mr Melvin’s car was spotted in front of the U.S. Supreme Court today, as a safety precaution, the USCP closed off the area,” said US Capitol Police on Thursday.

“After some discussion, Melvin agreed to leave the area. He was not arrested,” the statement continued, adding that the agency would investigate the situation.

Mr Melvin was previously reported to have been present around the Capitol at another time in 2021, and during his October arrest Capitol Police discovered statements that drew concern on his social media accounts related to his trip to the area.

Little appeared to have changed regarding Mr Melvin’s posting habits, as Capitol Police also said on Thursday that “agents also noticed concerning language on a public social media account believed to belong to Mr. Melvin that related to his presence at the U.S. Supreme Court”.

It isn’t clear if Mr Melvin will continue his unexplained visits to the Supreme Court and US Capitol area; the posts that apparently concerned law enforcement were not immediately locatable on Thursday. The Independent has reached out to Mr Melvin for comment.

The scene on Thursday played out as US Capitol Police responded to a separate incident at the Cannon House Office Building, one of three buildings where House lawmakers and their staff have offices in the Capitol complex.

The building was briefly evacuated after a security alarm was triggered; the agency later said that construction workers had set off the alarm.

“At this time we believe construction work accidentally set off an alarm. After the alarm went off, the USCP evacuated the Cannon Building and closed off nearby streets to ensure everyone’s safety,” said US Capitol Police.