Police: Stratford woman arrested in D.C. near Capitol

WASHINGTON — A 63-year-old woman from Stratford was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police after she drove up to an inauguration checkpoint in Washington, D.C., and falsely identified herself as a police officer and as a member of the president’s cabinet, according to a police report.

Linda MaGovern, 63, of Stratford also failed to obey a law enforcement official and fled from an official, according to a police report.

Her arrest came as security was tightened in Washington, D.C., as violence was continued violence was feared in the days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. On Jan. 6, rioters stormed the Capitol, with dozens of protesters arrests and President Donald Trump impeached in connection with the violent attack.

The incident began at 8:45 a.m. Saturday when MaGovern approached Capitol Police officers at a checkpoint near Columbus Circle, which is about a half-mile from the U.S. Capitol, the police report said.

She showed them a “military police challenge coin” and told them she was a part of law enforcement and a presidential cabinet member, the report said.

Officers repeatedly told the Stratford woman to park her car, and she eventually did, the police report said. But when an officer asked to see her driver’s license, she drove off, the police report said.

MaGovern drove northbound on Columbus Circle before she was stopped in front of Union Station and arrested, the arrest report said. She was sent to United Medical Center in Washington to undergo an evaluation after her arrest, according to police.

A “military police challenge coin” is a keepsake often service members and law enforcement personnel.