By JULIE CARR SMYTH
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The individual charged in connection with the vandalism of Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio home earlier this month pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.
William D. DeFoor, 26, entered pleas to three counts in federal court in Cincinnati. Prosecutors have charged DeFoor with damaging government property, engaging in physical violence against any person or property in a restricted building or grounds, and assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.
This undated booking photo provided by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in January 2025 shows William D. DeFoor, who was charged on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in a case involving vandalism to the Cincinnati, Ohio, home of Vice President JD Vance. (Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
The suspect faces up to 10 years in prison on each of the first two charges and up to 20 years on the third.
Federal prosecutors allege the Secret Service saw someone run along the front fence of Vance’s residence in Cincinnati’s upscale East Walnut Hills neighborhood just after midnight on Jan. 5 and then breach the property line. The person later identified as DeFoor was armed with a hammer and tried to break out the window of an unmarked Secret Service vehicle on the way up the driveway. The person then moved toward the front of the home and broke 14 historic window panes, according to a federal affidavit.
Damage done to security enhancements around the windows was valued at $28,000, according to the filing.
DeFoor’s attorney, Paul Laufman, has said in court that the situation represents “purely a mental health issue” and that his client was not motivated by politics.
