Chief Magistrate Judge Stephanie Bowman ordered that a suspect in the vandalism of Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio home remain behind bars while awaiting trial, according to the Associated Press.
Bowman’s ruling on Tuesday means William D. DeFoor, 26, will stay in the Hamilton County jail for now. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Jan. 20 in federal district court in Cincinnati, the AP reported.
The AP said DeFoor faces federal charges of damaging government property. The case also includes allegations of physical violence against property in a restricted area, and assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.
Prosecutors’ potential penalties include up to 10 years in prison for the first two charges. The AP reported that the assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The AP reported that Secret Service officers assigned to Vance’s home in Cincinnati’s East Walnut Hills neighborhood saw someone run along the front fence and breach the property line shortly after midnight on Jan. 5. The AP said the person later identified as DeFoor was armed with a hammer.
According to the AP, DeFoor tried to break out the window of an unmarked Secret Service vehicle on the way up to the driveway. The report said DeFoor then broke windows in the front of the home and damaged a security system.
The AP reported that the Vances were not home at the time.
DeFoor’s defense attorney, Paul Laufman, said this is “purely a mental health issue” and “not motivated by politics,” according to the AP.