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The man who broke windows at JD Vance’s Ohio home is detained, the Secret Service says
By: Alanna Drukin Richer | Kathy McCormack | AP
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A man who broke windows at Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio home and caused other property damage was detained early Monday, the U.S. Secret Service said.

A law enforcement official identified the suspect as William Defoor, 26, of Crestview Hills, Kentucky. Defoor is set to be arraigned Tuesday on misdemeanor charges of vandalism, criminal trespass, criminal damaging and obstruction of official business, court records show.Vance expressed gratitude to the Secret Service and Cincinnati police for responding quickly to the incident in a post on the social platform X.
“I appreciate everyone’s well wishes about the attack at our home,” Vance tweeted. “As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows.”
Court records show that Defoor faced an earlier charge of vandalism in 2024 and agreed to treatment under the county’s Mental Health Court system.
The Secret Service is coordinating with the Cincinnati Police Department and the U.S. attorney’s office as charging decisions are reviewed, Guglielmi said.
The Vance home is located in one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, on hills overlooking the city. Throughout Vance’s vice presidency, protesters have often gathered outside the home — clashing at one point last spring with Vance himself.
Vance, a Republican, was a U.S. senator representing Ohio before becoming vice president. He moved to Cincinnati after a stint in Silicon Valley following law school, and his half brother ran unsuccessfully for mayor there last year. Vance was raised in nearby Middletown, which figured heavily in his bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
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Associated Press writers Mike Balsamo, Sarah Brumfield and Julie Carr Smyth contributed to this report.
