COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a suspect in the vandalism of Vice President JD Vance’s home in Ohio must remain behind bars while awaiting trial.
The decision by Chief Magistrate Judge Stephanie Bowman means that William D. DeFoor, 26, of Cincinnati, will remain in the Hamilton County jail for now. A preliminary hearing in the case was set for Jan. 20 in the federal district court in Cincinnati.
DeFoor faces federal charges of damaging government property, engaging in physical violence against property in a restricted area and assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.
The first two charges are each punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Shortly after midnight on Jan. 5, Secret Service officers assigned to Vance’s home in Cincinnati’s upscale East Walnut Hills neighborhood saw someone run along the front fence and 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 to the driveway before breaking windows in the front of the home and damaging a security system.
The Vances were not home at the time.
DeFoor’s defense attorney, Paul Laufman, has said this is “purely a mental health issue” and not motivated by politics.