A woman is facing multiple felony charges after she allegedly vandalized the Washington, DC, World War II Memorial earlier this month.
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In a statement, the US Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia announced that Melissa Farris from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, has been charged with Willfully Injuring or Committing a Depredation against Property of the United States and with Destruction of a Veterans’ Memorial.
Farris was charged after she was linked to the vandalism of the World War II Memorial on the National Mall.
“Defacing the World War II Memorial is a disgusting act and an insult to the Americans who fought and died for our country,” US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro stated. “This memorial stands in honor of the 16 million veterans who served, the millions who supported the war effort, and the more than 400,000 heroes who never came home.”
Pirro then said, “Vandalizing a monument dedicated to their sacrifice is a shameful attack on the legacy of our nation.”
“We will not tolerate this kind of criminal activism,” she added. “And we will ensure that anyone who desecrates a veterans’ memorial is held fully accountable.”
The US Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia stated that US Park Police were called about 2 pm on August 13 after a “disorderly person” was seen spray-painting graffiti on portions of the Atlantic Theatre Pavilion of the World War II Memorial, which is located at the eastern end of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The words “Clean Hands Dirty $” were written in orange-colored-paint on the wall.
Farris allegedly did a Facebook livestream while vandalizing the monument. She said she was “cognitively aware” of the “choices” she was making.
The woman fled before the US Park Ranger officials arrived. She eventually turned herself in.
President Trump Responds to the Vandalism
In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump spoke out about the vandalism incident.
“Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals,” he wrote. “THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II. First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from.”
The world leader previously blamed vandals for the damage done to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following a multi-million-dollar paint project. Although multiple people were arrested for allegedly vandalizing the pool, the charges were eventually dropped by the Department of Justice.
Farris could face up to 10 years in prison for the crime.