William D. DeFoor, 26, the person charged in connection with vandalism at Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio home, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Cincinnati on Tuesday, according to court proceedings described by the Associated Press.
DeFoor entered pleas to three counts. Prosecutors have charged him 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.
The charges carry different potential maximum penalties. Federal prosecutors said DeFoor faces up to 10 years in prison on each of the first two charges, and up to 20 years on the third.
Prosecutors allege Secret Service personnel saw someone run along the front fence of Vance’s residence just after midnight on Jan. 5 and then breach the property line. The residence is described as being in Cincinnati’s upscale East Walnut Hills neighborhood.
The federal affidavit cited in the court filing alleges 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. Prosecutors also allege that the person then moved toward the front of the home and broke 14 historic window panes.
Prosecutors said damage 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.