Kentucky woman arrested for WWII Memorial vandalism in Washington D.C.
ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. —
A woman has been arrested for allegedly vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., and according to court documents, she’s from Kentucky.
D.C. District Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the arrest on Friday via social media. It included photos of the suspect and pink paint splattered on the memorial.
“Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather,” her post said.
She named Melissa Farris, 41, as the suspect. According to court documents, she’s from Elizabethtown.
The photo posted by Pirro appears to be a screenshot from Farris’ social media. Farris, who goes by Melissa Lovewell on Facebook, posted a series of videos admitting to the act and showing the vandalism.
In one video, she said:
“I am cognitively aware and executively (sic) of the choices I am making and I am doing so to push my whistleblower case into the courtroom…someone has to make choices that are different and 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…I am accountable for the things that I do and the choices that I make and our government needs to be accountable for their choices too.”
Farris will face multiple felonies, including depredation against property of the U.S. and destruction of a veterans’ memorial.
She’ll face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The Interior Department began investigating the vandalism after neon graffiti was painted on the Atlantic Pavilion and the usually clear fountains overflowed with soapy bubbles on Thursday.
On the inner side of the fountain, graffiti written in neon orange stated: “Clean hands Dirty $.” Pink and green graffiti also littered the pavilion. The large whips of foam in the water appeared to be a result of someone pouring soap into the fountain.
President Donald Trump posted about it Thursday, saying, in part, “The World War II Memorial is a sacred place to honor the service of our members of the Armed Forces and the over 400,000 Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice in WWII. The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated.”
CNN contributed to this report.