Opera Singer Charged With Assaulting a Federal Officer at Mar-a-Lago Will Use Insanity Defense

Connecticut opera singer Hannah Roemhild, who was charged with driving an SUV toward a barrier at Mar-a-Lago and assaulting a federal officer, will use the insanity defense, The Palm Beach Post reports.

Roemhild was charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, as well as two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and fleeing and resisting an officer without violence.

The incident took place on January 31 when an off-duty Florida Highway Patrol trooper saw Roemhild dancing on the hood of the SUV. She then got in her vehicle, and led the trooper on a chase. A U.S. Secret Service agent fired at her when she drove through the barriers at Mar-a-Lago, but no one was injured. She was arrested at a nearby hotel.

Attorneys Chris Haddad and David Roth have both stated this week that Roemhild "was suffering from a severe mental disease or defect rendering her unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of her acts." Roth said that Roemhild has a history of mental health issues and was off her medications during the incident.

A jury trial in U.S. District Court is scheduled for April 12.

Read more on The Palm Beach Post.