A Cincinnati man arrested on charges he broke windows at Vice President JD Vance's house in East Walnut Hills now faces additional federal charges.
Hamilton County Court records show authorities arrested William DeFoor, 26, early Monday morning in connection with the incident. He faces vandalism, trespassing and criminal damaging charges in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. The Vances visited Ohio last week but were not at the house at the time of the damage.
A statement from U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Dominick Gerace II released Monday evening said DeFoor is also being charged with damaging government property and engaging in physical violence against any person or property in a restricted building or grounds. Each of those carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison. DeFoor also faces a charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers. That carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The statement says Secret Service officers observed a person running along the front fence of the Vance residence. He entered the property at the driveway and attempted to break a window on a federal law enforcement vehicle.
The U.S. Attorney's statement says the suspect was armed with a hammer and refused commands to stop. Then he began breaking windows on the front of Vance's house before attempting to escape. He was apprehended by Secret Service and Cincinnati police officers.
Vance mentioned the incident on social media.
"I appreciate everyone's well wishes about the attack at our home," Vance wrote on X. "As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. I'm grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly. We weren't even home as we had returned already to DC. One request to the media: we try to protect our kids as much as possible from the realities of this life of public service. In that light, I am skeptical of the news value of plastering images of our home with holes in the windows."
Court records show Defoor, who lives in the Hyde Park neighborhood, faced vandalism charges in 2024 and was sentenced to undergo treatment for mental health issues via the court's mental health docket. He also faced trespassing charges in 2023, according to court records, but was found unfit to stand trial.
This story is developing and may be updated.
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