Parked in front of the Supreme Court illegally, Dale Paul Melvin talks with U.S. Capitol Police officers February 3, 2022 in Washington, DC.
- The Michigan man who was arrested last year after illegally parking his SUV in front of the Supreme Court has returned to the same building in the same vehicle, police said Thursday.
- The man, Dale Paul Melvin, has "parked his Chevy Tahoe in front of the Court again," U.S. Capitol Police said in a tweet at 9:46 a.m. ET.
- About 15 minutes later, police said in a follow-up tweet: "The roads are now open."
The Michigan man who was arrested last year after illegally parking his SUV in front of the Supreme Court returned to the same spot in the same vehicle, police said Thursday.
The man, Dale Paul Melvin, had "parked his Chevy Tahoe in front of the Court again," U.S. Capitol Police said in a tweet at 9:46 a.m. ET. About 30 minutes later, police announced that they had cleared the area without making any arrests.
"After some discussion, Melvin agreed to leave the area," the police department said in a press release Thursday afternoon.
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Officers had closed off the zone to pedestrians around 9 a.m. after spotting his car by the court building, which is across the street from the U.S. Capitol, the press release said.
The department also noted that a social media account believed to be Melvin's had posted "concerning language" that was "related to his presence" at the court on Thursday.
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"Our officers and agents are focused on our critical mission," USCP Chief Tom Manger said. "I applaud them for their keen observation and for not taking any chances when it comes to safety and security."
Melvin was arrested and placed in custody on Oct. 5 for failure to obey and assault on a police officer after USCP pulled him from the Tahoe he had parked in front of the court.
On Thursday afternoon, USCP said Melvin's case from that incident remains pending with the U.S. attorney's office.
In that October incident, Melvin had refused to communicate with officers, saying something close to "the time for talking is done," according to police. Officers had set off a flash bang to force the man out of the vehicle, NBC News reported at the time.
Melvin had also traveled to the Capitol complex in August "and made concerning statements," police said in October.
The department's latest press release says Melvin is 58, though the USCP last year described him as being 55 years old.
A Facebook account under Melvin's name had in 2016 shared an array of right-wing memes and images, CNBC reported in October.
Melvin's arrest last fall came as the Supreme Court justices gathered in person to hear oral arguments in two cases. The court's proceedings were not interrupted by the police activity. There were no events scheduled on the high court's calendar on Thursday.
Melvin's actions appear unrelated to those of another man, Floyd Ray Roseberry, who last August drove his pickup truck in front of the Supreme Court and claimed to have a bomb.
