Cole Allen, the California man charged in the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend, is being detained at the Correctional Treatment Facility at the D.C. jail complex, a law enforcement source confirmed to CBS News. This is the same facility that previously housed many Jan. 6 defendants and is a newer facility than the main jail.
The CTF, operated by the D.C. Department of Corrections, holds men, women and juveniles charged as adults.
Allen, 31, is charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump and two firearms-related offenses stemming from the shooting on Saturday night. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges.
Allen is being held in a restrictive cell in medical isolation, which is standard protocol, the law enforcement source said. Corrections protocol requires that Allen be held under suicide watch for the first 72 hours in a green suicide smock while he is assessed. A lawyer for Allen told the court Thursday that he is being held in a “safe cell” under 24-hour lockdown.
Also, according to the source,a D.C. correctional officer is posted outside Allen’s cell door 24/7 while he is under observation. During this period, he is under strict observation with no access to outside materials. Allen is brought finger foods on a tray and is not allowed utensils, the source said. He’s allowed to shower every 72 hours. Allen is also allowed religious materials in his cell, such as a Bible or Quran. He has not requested any religious materials, according to the source.
The D.C. Department of Corrections says on its website that the facility consists of five separate, multi-story buildings situated immediately adjacent to each other, so the facility presents as one large structure. Housing units within the CTF range from 16 to 48 cells with a maximum capacity of 96 beds per unit. It is a separate structure from D.C.’s main jail.
The U.S. Marshals Service, which manages federal pretrial detainees, has a contract with the D.C. Department of Corrections, the law enforcement source said. The U.S. Marshals Service says on its website that it has contracts with approximately 1,200 state and local governments to rent jail space to house more than 63,000 pretrial detainees.
The U.S. Marshals said it doesn’t release detention locations for high-profile prisoners due to security concerns.
CBS News has reached out to the D.C. Department of Corrections.
Allen has been compliant since his arrival, the law enforcement source said.
During an appearance in federal court Thursday, Allen’s attorneys told the judge that he agreed to remain detained in the lead-up to his trial. A preliminary hearing is set for May 11.
His attorneys had argued in a filing Wednesday that Allen was “gainfully employed” as a tutor, is a “devout Christian” who “dutifully” attends church and is an “active participant” in his religious community. They said he has no criminal history and is college-educated, and that those factors weigh in favor of release.
After telling the judge that Allen instead agreed to remain detained, his attorney, Tezira Abe, asked the judge to order the jail to lift his lockdown restrictions. The judge said she did not have the authority to override the judgment of the jail but would accept briefs on the matter.
contributed to this report.
