Man pleads guilty to hammer attack on Vance residence

William D. DeFoor, a 26-year-old Ohio man, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to federal charges stemming from a January 5 hammer attack on Vice President JD Vance’s Cincinnati home. DeFoor admitted to engaging in physical violence against government officials or property and willfully damaging U.S. property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio. The incident caused an estimated $28,000 in damage to the residence and a federal vehicle. The attack occurred shortly after midnight on January 5, when Secret Service agents observed DeFoor running along the front fence of Vance’s protected residence. He crossed the property line at the driveway while carrying a hammer. According to court documents, DeFoor struck the driver’s side window of an unmarked federal law enforcement vehicle three times. When agents repeatedly ordered him to stop and drop the weapon, he ignored the commands and advanced toward the home. He then used the hammer to shatter 14 panes across three large, historic windows and damaged government-owned security equipment installed on them.