Cincinnati police and US Secret Service agents arrested a man early Monday after damage was reported at Vice President JD Vance’s home in East Walnut Hills. William Defoor, 26, from Hyde Park, faces multiple charges including criminal damaging, criminal trespass, obstructing official business and felony vandalism.

According to an arrest report, Defoor was seen entering the property on William Howard Taft Drive and damaging four residential windows and a vehicle belonging to the vice president. Federal agents detained him shortly after midnight. When officers advised him of his rights, he responded, “I don’t know,” the report states.

JD Vance reacts

JD Vance also reacted to the attack. He wrote on X, “I appreciate everyone’s well wishes about the attack at our home. 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.”

He further added, “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.”

ALSO READ

Secret Service spotted suspect fleeing

US Secret Service contacted Cincinnati police at 12:15 a.m. after noticing someone “running eastbound,” a dispatcher told FOX19 NOW. The house was empty at the time. Vance and his family were not in Ohio when the incident occurred.

ALSO READ

Officials reviewing charges

“The US Secret Service is coordinating with the Cincinnati Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office as charging decisions are reviewed,” the agency said in a statement. A spokesperson for Vance confirmed to USA TODAY that the vice president and his family had visited Ohio over the weekend but left before the vandalism took place.

What are the charges against DeFoor in the past?

Court records show Defoor has faced similar charges in the past. In 2024, he was charged after windows at a Hyde Park business were broken. That case was moved to a mental health docket, and he received “treatment in lieu of conviction,” which is still ongoing. In 2023, Defoor was charged with trespassing at UC Health’s psychiatric emergency services. He was later found incompetent to stand trial, and the case was referred to Hamilton County Probate Court.

Defoor pleaded guilty to two vandalism counts after causing more than $2,000 in damage to a Hyde Park interior design business. He was ordered to undergo two years of mental health treatment and pay $5,550 in restitution. Vance purchased the 157-year-old, two-story white home for $1.4 million in 2018, according to county property records.

Roads around the residence were closed for several days around New Year’s, a security step typically taken when the vice president or his family is present.