Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Aug 29: A federal grand jury has indicted a Kentucky woman on two felony charges for allegedly vandalising the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.
Melissa Farris, 41, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, was indicted on Thursday on charges of destruction of a veterans' memorial and destruction of government property. She is scheduled to be arraigned next week. The US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia confirmed the indictment.
Farris is accused of spray-painting the words "Clean Hands Dirty $" on the memorial and putting soap into a fountain, causing it to fill with bubbles, on August 13. Investigators said paint was found on the Atlantic Theatre Pavilion, including orange, green and pink paint on the monument and surrounding area.
According to federal prosecutors, a witness photographed a woman defacing the memorial. A US Park Police officer later recognised the woman as Farris, who had been arrested on August 10 for allegedly camping unlawfully on federal property near 18th Street NW and Virginia Avenue NW, a short distance from the memorial.
Investigators also reviewed Farris' public social media accounts and found livestream videos recorded on August 13. Prosecutors said she appeared to acknowledge her involvement in the vandalism in one of the videos. She had reportedly identified herself online as "Melissa Lovewell."
Farris voluntarily surrendered to authorities and appeared in federal court on August 17. A judge ordered her released while the case proceeds, subject to conditions.
The two federal charges were initially filed after the August 13 incident. Each offence can carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
The World War II Memorial honours the 16 million Americans who served during World War II and the more than 405,000 who died in the conflict. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro condemned the vandalism, saying defacing the memorial was an affront to those who served and sacrificed their lives.
The incident also drew a response from President Donald Trump, who criticised the vandalism on Truth Social and linked it to his previous claims about damage to the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
A separate case involving the Reflecting Pool had emerged in late July, when a former Olympian was charged with deliberately damaging the site. However, the Justice Department later moved to dismiss that case after prosecutors received evidence that contradicted the claim that vandals were responsible.
The latest indictment moves the World War II Memorial case into the next stage of federal proceedings, with Farris expected to face arraignment next week.