A man was taken into police custody after he told a Secret Service officer he "dropped explosives" near the White House, according to the Secret Service.
Ervin Pettaway, 33, walked up to the officer at 9:25 a.m. Friday on the north side of Pennsylvania Avenue near Lafayette Park, officials said. He then told them he "dropped explosives" in the area.
Secret Service K-9 and D.C. police were called to the scene to sweep the area and clear pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Pettaway dropped a cell phone in the area, but no explosives were found. The incident was clear at 10:20 a.m., officials said.
Pettaway has been charged with one count of felony threats.
This was the 23rd White House security breach since the beginning of 2014, according to the News4 I-Team.
