LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Kentucky woman accused of vandalizing a federal monument is out of jail.
Melissa L. Farris, of Elizabethtown, was arrested last week in connection with vandalism at The World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the felony charges are "Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials." The offenses carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.
The arrest followed the discovery of the vandalism, which included bubbles filling a fountain and "Clean hands dirty $" written in red paint.
Farris was released from jail Monday despite a request from the Justice Department to keep her behind bars until her trial started.
A judge allowed Farris to live with her family in Ohio on a supervised release. She must surrender her passport and undergo a mental health evaluation.
Farris needs to be back in Washington for a court hearing in September. She could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The vandalism comes weeks after President Donald Trump said the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was deliberately damaged, without providing evidence. Vandalism charges against multiple people were filed and swiftly dropped after Pirro said the cause of the damage was botched repairs at the pool.
"Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals," Trump said Friday on his Truth Social site. "THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II."
The Interior Department said U.S. Park Police were on the scene following the Thursday vandalism and an investigation was ongoing. "The public should know we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act," the department said.
The Friends of the National World War II Memorial, a nonprofit organization that helps maintain the site, said: "There are many places in our country for expression, debate, and disagreement. A national memorial honoring those who served and those who never returned home should never be used as a canvas for vandalism."
The Veterans of Foreign Wars called the vandalism "an act of profound disrespect, a slap in the face to the veterans who served and sacrificed and to the families who carried that burden at home."
The World War II Memorial is just east of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the Mall. After a botched repair job earlier this year left the pool with peeling blue sealant and green algae, Trump blamed the issues on vandalism without providing evidence.
"First the Reflecting Pool, now this," Trump said in his Truth Social post. "We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???"
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