A Florida woman was arrested Monday night after trying to barge into President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate with an “urgent message” for the president and telling his U.S. Secret Service detail she had firearms in her vehicle.
Caroline Shaw, 49, of Orlando, drove a Mercedes van to the south gate of Mar-a-Lago shortly before 10 p.m. on July 7 and parked along Southern Boulevard. According to an arrest affidavit from the Palm Beach Police Department, Shaw walked to the gate and told U.S. Secret Service agents she needed to “speak with Trump urgently.”
Shaw then informed agents there were guns in her vehicle.Agents took her into custody and “secured the vehicle pending further investigation.” Secret Service agents and deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office searched the car, though it was not disclosed whether guns were actually found inside Shaw’s vehicle.
Trump was in Washington, D.C. at the time of the incident.
Police arrested Shaw on misdemeanor charges for driving with an expired vehicle registration and a suspended driver’s license. According to court records, Shaw’s driver’s license had been suspended since April 23, 2023, due to unpaid traffic fines, and her car’s registration expired in December 2021.
Shaw remained in custody at the Palm Beach County Jail on July 9 on $2,000 bond. She entered a not guilty plea during a court appearance July 8, where a judge prohibited her from going near Trump, Mar-a-Lago, or any of his family’s properties.
In addition to the misdemeanors, Palm Beach Police filed a request for a risk protection order for Shaw, which “is currently under review.” The order would bar Shaw from possessing guns or ammunition for at least one year.
The arrest is the latest in a series of incidents at Trump’s Palm Beach estate. Recent security breaches are significant due to Mar-a-Lago’s status as Trump’s permanent home and a frequent site of official business and high-level meetings.
Over the past several years, numerous individuals have been arrested after allegedly attempting to enter the property under suspicious or false pretenses, including one assassination attempt.
In June, Anthony Thomas Reyes, 23, of Texas, was arrested after reportedly scaling the estate’s wall, claiming he wanted to “spread the gospel” and marry Trump’s granddaughter Kai. He was released on $50,000 bond after pleading not guilty to a misdemeanor trespassing charge.
In February, Jeffrey Daniel Olson was arrested for entering restricted grounds and faces federal charges. Adrienne Tajirian, 58, from Pennsylvania, tried to enter, claiming sh wanted to dine with Donald Trump Jr. in April and was sentenced to probation in May.
Bijan Arceo, 32, of Sunny Isles Beach, jumped the estate’s wall in January and was diverted to a pretrial program with community service and conditions to avoid further arrests or contact with the property.
Other notable incidents from 2024 included Zijie Li, 39, a Chinese citizen from California, who was arrested July 31 after multiple alleged attempts to enter Mar-a-Lago and was later found too mentally incompetent to stand trial. Patrick Webster Warren, 42, of South Carolina was taken into custody August 13 after bypassing security barricades, telling officers he wanted Trump’s autograph.
Farbod Dolat, 53, of Sarasota was arrested November 14 for allegedly driving a stolen vehicle to the estate and faces felony charges. Ruby Rodriguez, 62, of California, was charged with trespassing in December after trying to gain access to the club and was sentenced to probation.
A teenager was apprehended December 5 after allegedly planning to graffiti “Carthage vs. Rome” on a Mar-a-Lago wall.
Mar-a-Lago serves as Trump’s permanent home in South Florida when he’s not in the White House.