Kentucky woman formally indicted in WWII Memorial vandalism case
Melissa L. Farris (U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro)
WASHINGTON - A Kentucky woman is facing federal charges after she was accused of vandalizing the World War II Memorial on the National Mall.
What we know:
A grand jury indicted 41-year-old Melissa Farris on two counts on Friday; destruction of a veterans memorial and destruction of government property.
Farris is accused of spray-painting "Clean hands dirty $" in red on the monument and putting bubbles into the fountain while livestreaming on social media.
READ MORE | World War II Memorial vandalized with spray paint, fountains overflow with bubbles
She turned herself in to law enforcement shortly after.
"The World War II Memorial stands as a lasting tribute to the courage of 16 million Americans who served during World War II and the ultimate sacrifice of the 405,399 who gave their lives defending our nation and the freedoms we hold dear. Defacing it is an affront to their service and sacrifice," said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. "We will use every tool available under federal law to ensure this conduct is met with justice."
The backstory:
Court documents revealed that Farris was arrested days before the vandalism incident for unlawfully camping on federal property near the WWII Memorial. As she was being arrested on Aug. 10, she livestreamed on social media and identified herself as "Melissa Lovewell."
During a review of her social media accounts, investigators discovered that Farris had recorded multiple livestreams on the day of the alleged vandalism, Aug. 13. In one video, she admitted to damaging the memorial, court records show.
Before the alleged vandalism, she recorded and posted a video where she said she doing so in hopes of pushing her whistleblower case to the courtroom, according to court documents.
"I am accountable for my actions. I am going to make these choices today and I will step foot into the courtroom, and I will wait to be arrested," Farris said.
After her first court appearance, Farris was granted pre-trial release. The move was heavily criticized by U.S. Attorney Pirro.
"In what world does it make sense to release a defendant charged with two federal felonies who has no ties to this community, holds a Kentucky driver’s license, has no home address, has been camping in Washington for several weeks, immediately after the crime searched for flights to Michigan, then traveled to Virginia, and claims to have friends in Ohio? If anyone is a flight risk, it is certainly her," Pirro said in a statement.
Farris was allowed to return to Toledo, Ohio, where her daughter lives, according to court officials. She is scheduled to return to D.C. for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 3.
The Source: Information in this report is from the U.S. Attorney for D.C. and previous FOX 5 DC reporting.