Ohio Man Pleads Guilty in JD Vance’s Home Vandalism Case

An Ohio man accused of damaging Vice President JD Vance’s Cincinnati residence earlier this year pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court, authorities said.

William D. DeFoor, 26, was accused of causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage on Jan. 5 after using a hammer to break several windows at Vance’s home, which was unoccupied at the time.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, DeFoor admitted to committing acts of physical violence against government officials or property, along with willfully injuring or depredating U.S. government property.

DeFoor’s defense attorney previously said the incident was not driven by politics and noted that he has struggled with mental health issues. Court records also show DeFoor has faced prior criminal cases that involved findings of mental incompetency.

“Perpetrators like DeFoor, who put that freedom at risk, particularly through violent, destructive actions, will, like here, be vigorously prosecuted,” U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II said in a statement Tuesday.

According to court documents, DeFoor was detained around midnight after Secret Service agents observed him near the front fence of Vance’s protected residence. Vance and his family were in Washington, D.C., at the time of the incident.

While wielding a hammer, DeFoor reportedly breached the property line at the driveway and proceeded to target an unmarked federal law enforcement vehicle blocking the driveway entrance. DeFoor used the weapon to strike the driver’s side window three times, prosecutors said.

As Secret Service agents responded, DeFoor ignored all commands to stop and drop the weapon, according to charging documents.

He then used the hammer to break large, historic glass windows across the front of the home, officials said.

The attack reportedly damaged components of an enhanced security system located on each window. The equipment was owned by the U.S. government and valued at more than $28,000, prosecutors said.

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Secret Service agents and Cincinnati police officers eventually detained DeFoor after he tried to flee on foot.

Gerace on Tuesday further condemned the violence, saying assaults against U.S. officials will be prosecuted.

“Acts of violence directed against our political leaders, their families or property, have no place in our society and will not be tolerated. Our elected leaders, at all levels of government, must be permitted to carry out their duties free from threats, vandalism and other forms of violence,” Gerace said.

According to court records, DeFoor has a history of mental health issues in Hamilton County spanning more than two years.

FBI sources previously told Fox News that when DeFoor was arrested, he demanded to be called “Julia.”

In April 2023, DeFoor was charged with trespassing at University of Cincinnati Health Psychiatric Emergency Services after police said he refused to leave the premises. He was ruled incompetent to stand trial, and the case was later dismissed.

The following year, DeFoor was charged with two counts of vandalism after windows at a Hyde Park business were broken. The case was referred to a mental health docket, with treatment ordered in lieu of conviction.

Hamilton County Court later approved an application granting DeFoor’s mother legal guardianship after finding him incompetent by reason of mental illness.