A man accused of vandalizing the Cincinnati residence of Vice President JD Vance was not driven by political motives, his defense attorney argued in court.
During a Tuesday court session, Paul Laufman, the attorney representing 26-year-old William DeFoor, asserted that the incident was not politically charged. Instead, he said, DeFoor’s actions stemmed from mental health issues.
“There’s no political agenda here. This is entirely a matter of mental health,” Laufman stated, noting that DeFoor is known for writing “peaceful” poetry.
The judge set DeFoor’s bail at $11,000 for four non-federal offenses, which include charges of vandalism, criminal trespass, criminal damaging or endangering, and obstructing official business.
William DeFoor, 26, appeared in court on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, facing non-federal charges related to the incident at Vice President JD Vance’s Cincinnati home. (WXIX)
Later that day, DeFoor was scheduled to appear in federal court to address charges of damaging government property, committing violence against individuals or property within a restricted area, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers.
William DeFoor, 26, was taken into custody after allegedly damaging property at Vice President JD Vance’s Cincinnati home on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Secret Service and police responded quickly. (Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office)
DeFoor is accused of running along the front fence of Vance’s protected residence before breaching the property line at the driveway, according to an affidavit filed Monday. He was allegedly wielding a hammer and attempted to break the driver’s side window of an unmarked federal law enforcement vehicle blocking the driveway entrance.
DeFoor ignored all commands to stop and drop the weapon, according to charging documents, and used the hammer to break glass windows across the front of the home.
The residence was unoccupied, and Vance and his family were not in the state at the time of the incident, the U.S. Secret Service said Monday. (WXIX)
Enhanced security assets on each window were damaged from the hammer strikes. The assets, which are owned by the U.S. government, are valued at more than $28,000, prosecutors said.
DeFoor allegedly tried to run away before Secret Service agents and Cincinnati police officers detained him.
When DeFoor was arrested, he demanded to be called “Julia,” FBI sources told Fox News.
Court records show DeFoor has faced multiple criminal cases in Hamilton County in recent years, with each proceeding intersecting with findings related to his mental competency.
