A man who allegedly drove away at a gate checkpoint and got inside a controlled-access research area at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base that led to the evacuation of employees in two buildings will face charges in federal court, according to authorities.
The suspect, 32-year-old Edward J. Novak of Beavercreek, was expected to face an arraignment before federal Magistrate Judge Michael J. Newman in U.S. District Court in Dayton, according to court records and federal authorities.
Federal authorities filed eight counts Wednesday against Novak, including trespassing, assault, operating a vehicle under the influence, inducing panic, making false alarms, failure to comply with a lawful order, fleeing and eluding a police officer, and disorderly conduct, court records show.
Court records did not list an attorney for Novak.
According to base authorities, a man drove up to Gate 22B near Interstate 675 and handed a sentry his driver’s license around 9:40 a.m. Nov. 24.
The man then allegedly drove off and parked in a parking lot near Building 600 in the Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate, according to base spokespersons.
The man was able to eventually make his way into Building 620 when someone exiting opened a door into the controlled-access facility, Col. John M. Devillier, base commander, has said. A security patrol was “immediately” on the road and located the man’s vehicle in the parking lot within five minutes, Devillier has said.
The parking lot was about 1,500 to 1,800 feet away from the gate, a spokesman has said.
Employees stopped the suspect inside Building 620 because he was not wearing a security badge, officials have said. He was turned over to security authorities within 20 minutes and later released without being taken to jail, officials have said.
The unauthorized entry into a controlled-access building set off alerts that led to the evacuation of employees inside both buildings and a shelter-in-place order for a nearby child development center.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, area police agencies, the Wright-Patterson fire department, and an Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal team were among the agencies that responded, according to officials. Building employees were evacuated about three hours while police shut down roads both on and off-base near the buildings.
The suspect did not carry weapons on himself or inside the vehicle he drove onto the base, and authorities have said they did not have evidence the man intended to do harm.
Court records said the suspect allegedly committed an assault on someone identified with the initials S.D., but authorities did not immediately provide additional information.
