ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Police in Northern Virginia said Wednesday they are searching for a homeless man they suspect broke into Donald Trump’s presidential campaign office.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has issued an arrest warrant for Toby Shane Kessler, 39, of no permanent address, on a charge of burglary in connection with the break-in.
The sheriff’s office says Kessler was captured on surveillance video Sunday night breaking into the Ashburn office building through a back door. The office is rented by the Trump campaign and serves as headquarters for the Virginia 10th District Republican Committee. The suspect’s face is clearly visible in the surveillance video.
According to the sheriff’s office, Kessler spent a short time at the office and it’s unclear if he took anything. They don’t believe he left anything behind.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Thomas Julia said Wednesday it was too early to say whether the break-in was politically motivated. Authorities will know more once Kessler is arrested.
According to the sheriff’s office, Kessler has a history of criminal behavior and has been in the Washington metropolitan area since at least 2018. He has a California driver’s license.
Last month, Kessler was charged in neighboring Fairfax County with trespassing with intent to damage, a misdemeanor, according to online court records. The attorney representing him in the Fairfax case did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday evening.
Kessler’s name is not listed as a defendant in Loudoun County court records.
